Calling Home
A 3 minute video that was created by Liam during community digital storytelling project.
The project was organized by Amy Smoyer who is a social worker and graduate of the StoryCenter program. The video was also produced by Sabrine Yaser, who also completed the StoryCenter training and Maria, who is a community storyteller peer mentor.
During the storytelling workshop, all participants - including Liam - signed consent forms to allow their stories to be shared in community settings.
Liam’s Script:
Calling home.
It was around 2:30pm
all the other incarcerated people were locked up for count before the shift change, I am standing in the common area having just finished my shift as the common area worker. The only other people in the common area are the two supervising correctional officers. One of them is reclining back in his chair with his feet up on the desk, playing on his cell phone.
The place is quiet with only the sound of the TV in the background.
I asked the CEO if I could make a phone call before I locked up. He said, go ahead and make
he pushed the button on the panel to pop the door so that I could get access to the phone.
I picked up the phone and wiped it off with disinfectant and paper towel,
I got the dial tone and dialed my mom's number.
One of the girls was yelling, what time is it?
I answered her,
2:30
When my mom picked up the phone, the recording begins. This is a call from an incarcerated individual at your correctional facility to accept this call, press one, and then, after the pause,
Your phone call has been accepted.
You have 15 minutes.
You may begin your conversation now.
Hello, mom. I said, Hi. How are you?
And as soon as she spoke, I could hear the worry and toll that she was facing outside in the real world with the COVID,
She began to tell me about the store shelves being empty from toilet paper and disinfectant supplies.
In my head, I was wishing there was a way I could handle these things through the phone, because being the common area worker, I had access to all these supplies.
Instead, I helped her by giving her the same comforting words that she has told me over and over again, hang in there.
This too shall pass.