writing letters to prisoners on reused paper

today was a day for writing letters to incarcerated loved ones. with the arrests of the gangstas to growers youth, and the passing of my great grandfather, i have been wanting to write my uncle bruce a letter to check in on him and get information about my lineage for my family archives. also this week resurfaced the unfair story of cyntoia brown. both my uncle bruce and cyntoia pulled on me to write letters to people in prison.

writing letters to people in prison lets them know they are not alone. although they are around prison-mates and facility staff, people in prison can easily feel isolated in the room full of people. not to mention the brutality of prison culture that can drive someone to insanity. for my uncle, i keep him posted on family happenings and ask him questions about growing up to learn more about my great grandparents. for cyntoia brown, who has a unique story of being wrongful sentenced to life in prison, i'm uplifting that people are in solidarity with her, and calling and writing the governor of tennessee for her clemency.

i wrote both letters on the back of old assignments given to me from professors over the last semester. the envelopes are 'return' envelopes that we typically receive in the mail with bills. i save these envelopes, because they are hella useful and just as good as the store-bought envelopes. most people throw these envelopes away; don't throw them away! save them to use instead of buying new ones, that's capitalism taking your coin. 

if you were wondering how to be in solidarity and practice zero waste, no worries, that's what the fort is for.