I would never have imagined that this term would have brought me into a female penitentiary. Twice. That my team and I would sit in a small room with over 20 inmates and watch them cry, listen to their past traumas and future hopes. That we would attend a Native American Spring Celebration in the prison yard while elders drummed and chanted, prisoners danced and an eagle soared overhead. That we would walk away from the minimum security unit at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility and feel heartbroken that we were free to drive back to Eugene while our new acquaintances remained behind the barb wire ringed fence.
At the beginning of this project, we were looking into creating a short documentary on some unique facet of Oregon art. As we researched, we stumbled upon prison art. Ultimately, we found Red Lodge Transitional Services through their prison art program for native american inmates and we knew we had to pursue this lead.
Inevitably, we did not cover the prison art program nor did we follow the experiences of a current female inmate as we had planned. However, this gave us the opportunity to meet Jackie Whitt.
Optimism pours out of Jackie. She beams from head to toe with perseverance and childlike enthusiasm for change. Though her life has been nothing but a series of crippling setbacks involving drugs, prison and familial difficulties, Jackie continues to promote happiness in all aspects of her life.
We feel privileged to have been able to spend time with Jackie, her three children, her father and her mother. It was a whirlwind of experiences. We’re thankful to Trish from Red Lodge for taking us under her wing, bringing us into the heart of the issue and introducing us to Jackie. We will continue to hold the issues revealed to us over the last 10 weeks close to our hearts and work towards bringing continual awareness through our content.
