CC-Dwyane Betts Interview Clean

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That’s what Freedom Reads is: it’s creating another norm that exists in the system that is woefully lacking norms that lead to possibility, and lead to hope.

In live performances that center on the poetry in his work "Felon," Reginald Dwayne Betts weaves together Japanese paper making aesthetic principles with traditional theater, poetry, and fine art to produce a meditation on the challenges of living in the shadow of mass incarceration.

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The central charge of Reginald Dwayne Betts's Freedom Reads organization is to place "Freedom Libraries" in prison housing units, where they can become a locus of conversation and community.

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Freedom Libraries contain a collection of 500 books, curated by Reginald Dwayne Betts in consultation with hundreds of writers, teachers, and readers.

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Freedom Reads

In his works “A Question of Freedom” and “Felon,” Reginald Dwayne Betts explores the state of incarceration in America.

A Black author and lawyer stands facing the camera, and wearing a black hat.

Felony and Freedom with Reginald Dwayne Betts

Artists as Catalysts

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Beyond Incarceration

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Civic Engagement

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Evolving Higher Education

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Expanding Public Knowledge

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Monuments and Memory

A large statue of a confederate general is covered in markings and graffiti. 

Multivocality

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Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

University Everywhere

Two scholars dressed in all black face the camera.

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Mission

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History

Grantmaking areas

Grantmaking Areas

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People

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Financials

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News

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Events