An open mic night Friday at an art gallery near Nationals Park showcased the talents of local poets, singers and other artists.
Another experience the performers had in common: They had all been incarcerated at some point in their lives.
Amanda Faye, who performs as AFAYE, sang a song called 鈥淲rite Our Wrongs.鈥�
鈥淚t pretty much means that we are not the labels that are placed on us, and anybody who has ever made a bad decision in life, we have time to be able to redeem ourselves,鈥� Faye told WTOP.
Friday night鈥檚 open mic was the second annual collaboration between the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the . The event was also part of D.C.鈥檚 observance of national Second Chance Month, promoting visibility and opportunities for previously incarcerated people, and healing through the arts.
“Art is a common tool for reentry because of the catharsis it brings,鈥� said Indya Wright, the communications director for the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Another purpose of events like these, Wright said, 鈥渋s to activate allies, to normalize things, to erase the stigma, to recognize that while you may be serving, you’re standing next to someone who has served time. They’re still human and recognizing their humanity.鈥�
鈥淧eople are not expecting to hear amazing talent come from returning citizens. And so that widens of the view of how we see reentry,鈥� said Lamont Carey, the director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, which oversees the returning citizens office.
The District鈥檚 Second Chance Month observances will conclude on April 30 with , a resource fair for returning citizens and community partners.
Faye, a returning citizen herself, is also part of a program at that uses music, acting and other forms of expression in its reentry services and recidivism therapy. Students at The Academy recently completed a short film called 鈥淭he Check-In鈥� about returning citizens and their struggles to reconnect with society.
鈥淚 teach the guys how to channel their emotions through music and through videos,鈥� Faye said. 鈥淓xpressing ourselves is the number one way for us to deal with trauma, and a lot of people don’t know what trauma is or even how to begin to deal with it. So art is the first step in understanding what it is, and being able to express the things that we can’t really put words to.”
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