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Kenneth Jamal Lighty
There are a myriad of life-forces that are sealed off and preyed upon by a carceral onslaught tantamount to high-tech slavery, but there are very few souls that manage to convalesce despite such co...ver másThere are a myriad of life-forces that are sealed off and preyed upon by a carceral onslaught tantamount to high-tech slavery, but there are very few souls that manage to convalesce despite such conditions. Kenneth Jamal Lighty is one of the few. As he sits on federal death row, a victim of the disproportionate injustice that continues to plague so many throughout this country, his voice remains uncompromising.
From a super-maximum security cell constructed to maximize human loneliness, a site designed to kill the mind, he manages to not only live, but thrive. Through self-cultivated intellect and hard-earned wisdom, he uses the single, most powerful weapon known to an inmate—the ink pen—to not only bring the plight of the incarcerated into the consciousness of many throughout the world, but also to make a difference by inspiring change and informing those whom he comes into contact with.
In his writings, Kenneth manages to provide an eloquent voice for the many that occupy the substratum of a society that is often met with contempt and indifference. His words reflect his profundity, gracefully removing the reader from the comfort of their own environment, and ushering them into the debilitating confines of a prison cell, confronting them with the nightmarish realities that one faces on a daily basis while incarcerated on death row. His unabashed willingness to articulate his own feelings about social issues that affect him and others, as well as his zeal to lead others in their collective quest for evolution, is nothing short of remarkable for a young man that spends 162 out of the 168 hours that constitute a single week on total lockdown, with no human contact.
Having to endure such conditions, all the while professing his innocence, one would fully expect Kenneth to be extremely bitter, but he isn’t. When asked why, he replied via letter:
I was extremely angry for quite some time, and it nearly destroyed me from the inside out. Ironically, it drove me to start reading, which is the moment that I attribute to my awakening. I discovered that I am a child claimed by extraordinary, resilient people. People such as the phenomenal Maya Angelou, Mumia Abu Jamal, Stanley “Tookie” Williams, George Jackson, and the Mandelas (Nelson and Winnie). Through their writings and personal journeys, they taught me that bitterness is counterproductive. Nothing of any substance can be conveyed through a bitter filter. It wasn’t until I was able to truly comprehend this that I was able to purge my heart of such a putrid disease and be able to communicate, and live, effectively.
Incarcerated for the better part of the last decade, and virtually his entire adult life, Kenneth’s writings have journeyed from country to country (much like his spirit), landing in the homes of friends that he has made, as well as several educational institutions, where he stresses the importance of education, introspection, personal accountability, and solidarity. He has repeatedly said that he not only wants to inspire change before mistakes that could alter the trajectory of lives are made by those who may be headed down the wrong path, but he also wants to lessen the suspicion that discourages so many who try to atone for mistakes that have already been made.
In a letter during which he addressed a high school graduating class in Dusseldorf, Germany, he spoke about the double standard that surrounds the concept of change in society:
We are all works in progress, including myself. We have made and will continue to make mistakes, but we try. Everyone has the potential to grow, and believe me, redemption is possible. I see it, I hear it, and I live it. . .
To many, change has a time limit. It has to be done before consequences are handed out, or it isn’t real. That is not realistic. Change is a process. It doesn’t occur on your time; it happens in time.
Kenneth’s first publication, A Distant Connection: Letters from Prisoners Concerned about Today’s Youth, is a step in the right direction that hopefully will prove that change is for everyone and will show that generations are indeed willing to help one another be better people.ver menos
Libros de Kenneth Jamal Lighty
A Distant Connection: Letters from Prisoners Concerned About Today's Youth