CLAIM

"He gave my father back to me."  This is the first thing Emani Davis told me about David Lewis when she suggested that we invite him as a keynote speaker for our 2005 gathering "Children of Prisoners, Children of Promise".  Emani’s dad had been incarcerated since she was six. She never gave up on him, but under David’s teaching her father’s perspective and capacities grew dramatically, and her relationship with her dad blossomed. 

Thousands of young people could say the same about their incarcerated fathers and mothers.  David was a powerful, inspiring speaker. At our conference he was truly a catalyst for mothers recently released from incarceration to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the effort to create a healthy, stable life for themselves and their children.  At the same time he reminded us advocates that policy change is just one part of the process of change, that we need both feet to walk forward:  individual accountability AND systemic change.   David Lewis, president and co-founder of the recovery program Free at Last in East Palo Alto, helped incarcerated parents take responsibility and heal their relationships with their children.  He helped to develop a brilliant, community-rooted, effective approach to overcoming addiction and he achieved great things for the community.  You can see his bio, complete with awards and honors, at www.freeatlast.org/about/board_of_directors.htm.    On the evening of June 9, David was shot and killed as he left a shopping mall.  His death is a devastating loss for his community, for all of us who care about these most vulnerable families and children.    I was blessed to know David a little through the Family and Corrections Network board.  He was a great inspiration and his work must be carried on and expanded.    CLAIM calls on each one of us to support parents in recovery.  Work to help parents take accountability for the impact their addiction has had on their families and to understand that it's up to them: no one can replace them.  We call on you to work in whatever way you can to further and support this effort, healing families and communities.   A photo of David at our 2005 "Children of Prisoners, Children of Promise Catalyst Event" is here.