The Power of Freedom Libraries

The Million Book Project, spearheaded by poet and legal scholar Dwayne Betts, marks the first major grant since the announcement of the Foundation’s new strategic direction – one that grounds all its grantmaking in the arts, culture, humanities, and higher learning in social justice. This vital initiative will distribute a curated 500-book collection to 1,000 medium- and maximum-security prisons in every state across the US over the next three and a half years. How can we extend access to literature across the American prison system, and affirm the right of those who are incarcerated to engage in the exchange of ideas and stories that invigorate American society?