CLAIM

Visible Voices is CLAIM's peer support and empowerment group.  The group, run by and for formerly incarcerated women, is dedicated to creating humane policy change and to advocating for incarcerated women. Visible Voices meets every other week at the Grace House transitional home near the United Center on west Adams Street. 

Members of Visible Voices:

• Support and empower one another as they transition back into the community and advocate for change.
• Discuss and share information on local and national issues impacting the prison system and social justice movements.
• Build skills and confidence.
• Discuss the impact of prison on themselves, their families and their communities.
• Promote change in state practices.
• Break down stereotypes surrounding incarcerated women.

Visible Voices members take part in events and discussions designed to help them rebuild their self-esteem, to engage their point of view and leverage their experience, and to empower them to take action. Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women are too often told that their point of view doesn't matter. Visible Voices reminds them that what they have to say is important and valued, and thay they can make a difference. 

Recently we saw the play The Island at Remy Bumppo Theatre, about South African prisoners celebrating the freedom of the human spirit by performing Antigone.  Ten Visible Voices members went to Springfield for the Responsible Budget Coalition rally April 21.  We met with the Female Empowerment Program of Chicago Women's AIDS Project to discuss peer education and leadership, and two members led the meeting along with CWAP staff.  We will visit the Children's Museum at Navy Pier with their children in May through the courtesy of Kraft Family Night.   

 In the past: 

Visible Voices members and their families participated in the Marguerite Casey Foundation's year-long Equal Voice for America's Families Campaign, culminating in an event at Navy Pier (left). The Equal Voice for America's Families Coalition worked to shift national attitudes and policies affecting poor and working families, envisioning a world in which all families enjoy social and economic equality. Visible Voices members brought their unique experiences to the table; they encouraged those who had never considered prison issues to understand the ways in which maternal incarceration and current sentencing policies impact families, both socially and economically, for generations. They learned how their experiences intersect with the experiences of others, increasing their understanding of the interconnectedness of different social just movements.

Visible Voices members took an active role in planning CLAIM's annual Mother's Day Rally held in front of downtown Chicago's Thompson Center. The 2009 program included music, poetry and personal testimony. Approximately 200 people attended the Rally and heard our message of rehabilitation.

The Leadership Council is made up of Visible Voices members who have shown a strong commitment to advocacy and who are ready to take on a more challenging leadership role in the group. At this year's Jazz Benefit we honored Leadership Council members for their hard work and dedication both to Visible Voices and to advocating for change.  Here Leadership Council Member Yolanda Burgess is pictured with one of our silent auction pieces. 

The women got out into the community, holding a Celebration of Freedom (right) in the Grace House neighborhood, attending the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park (below left),  and throwing a Holiday Party attended by members of the community (below right). At the Celebration of Freedom, women flew kites, blew bubbles, and celebrated the changes in their lives. They celebrated not only their freedom from incarceration, but their freedom from past mistakes and their ability to lead healthy, productive lives. They watched All About Eve at the Outdoor Film Festival (often referred to as Movies in the Park) in Grant Park, one of Chicago's favorite summer events.