A 🧵 responding to a few points made in this piece. 1/16

It's encouraging that more people are learning about incarcerated individuals serving as firefighters — a practice that has been in place for decades. Please donate to the ARC Firefighter Fund to support these brave individuals and help ensure they receive the resources they deserve. ⬇️

Working on California's incarcerated fire crews: "It is kind of like you’re a slave" Some 1,100 prison recruits are battling LA's infernos, risking life and health for less than $2 an hour—yet still the jobs are coveted.

“If you’re willing to run into fire and save lives, [you] deserve the same amount of pay.”

From @theguardian.com via @climatedesk.org

‘Essential’: nearly 800 incarcerated firefighters deployed as LA battles wildfires The firefighters earn $5.80-$10.24 per day plus $1 an hour when responding to active emergencies, according to CDCR

And now that number has doubled — CDCR confirms there are 783 incarcerated firefighters currently battling the Los Angeles blazes:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Poet Nikki Giovanni on Age, Identity, and the Passing of Time In her new collection "A Good Cry," the author and educator goes deep on love and letting go.

Full interview is here:

www.shondaland.com/inspire/book...

Nikki Giovanni describes how she doesn't think death is the end of us.

From an interview I did with Nikki Giovanni back in 2017:

Well-known Virginia Tech professor dies at 81 Virginia Tech professor and poet, Nikki Giovanni, has died at the age of 81.

Virginia Tech professor and poet, Nikki Giovanni, has died at the age of 81.

What Reconstruction Still Has to Teach Us The past shows us the fool’s errand of sacrificing the rights of vulnerable communities to ward off anti-DEI attacks and secure political wins.

NEW: I wrote about why some historians and legal experts say that it seems as if our current moment, defined by a clash between efforts to expand rights and efforts to contract rights, echoes the end of Reconstruction. capitalbnews.org/reconstructi...

Infographic that says: Every year, people cycle through local jails over 7 million times

🚨NEW Briefing: In 2023, there were 7.6 million jail admissions – and 1 in 4 of them were someone *returning* to jail for at least a 2nd time that year.

Here's everything we learned from our new collaboration with Jail Data Initiative🧵
www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/11...

Infographic that says: The US Carceral System Wrapped • 1.9 million people behind bars • Highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy in the world • Costs taxpayers $182 billion per year • Cycles people through local jails more than 7 million times per year • Takes 2 years off someone's life for every year they spend in prison Source: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2024.html https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2017/06/26/lite_expectancy/ https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/11/27/jail_bookings/

Unsurprisingly, the US carceral system is still in its flop era.

It does not keep anyone safe – in reality, the effects it has on incarcerated people, their families, and their communities are cruel and devastating, and we're all worse off for it.

THIS!!!!

We have a lot of people who are coming in and trying to see why they want to be here. Engagement is key!!

Go to tinyurl.com/edusky and I have a list of randomized educators. Click on some and like one of their posts!

#EduSky

Eight Keys to Mercy: How to shorten excessive prison sentences The Prison Policy Initiative explains the eight most efficient ways to shorten long prison sentences.

But it's not too late for him to turn things around before his term ends. In fact, he can start immediately by sparing the 40 people who are on federal death row.

Learn more about how elected officials can grant mercy:
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/long...

New rule means people on community supervision now qualify for Medicare Under this new rule, more than 340,000 people over the age of 65 who are on probation or parole will have access to healthcare coverage.

🚨BIG WIN: People on probation or parole, out on bail, or living in a halfway house will now be eligible for Medicare benefits

This will significantly improve healthcare access for hundreds of thousands of people across the US
www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/12...

People are so lonely in this country. Everywhere. All ages. It’s an epidemic. Say hello. Smile. Pay a compliment. It might just be the only human contact that person has today.

"We are dealing with the reality of the criminal legal system. It’s not optional. Once you or your loved ones are implicated in that system, you have to confront it. You also have to foster that sense that we can build something different—but until we’ve destroyed these systems, it’s a both/and."

Thank you for creating this starter pack. I would love to be added if there is more space.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the work you all do to connect educators! Much love!

Friendly reminder to educators: Not all students and families celebrate Thanksgiving, and for 2.7M children in the U.S. with an incarcerated parent, fall break may have triggered a range of emotions. Please keep this in mind when planning #SEL activities and lessons. Much love! #EduSky #EduMatch

Hola! I’m a PreK-12 district admin with experience in NY, TN, and VA. As a first-gen, Latina, daughter impacted by parental incarceration, my lived experiences shape my purpose. My feed focuses on abolition, books, cats, and educational justice. Looking forward to connecting! #EduSky #EduMatch

Build your PLF, now on BlueSky!

Welcome to #EduMatch starter packs continued: @amyorm.bsky.social @educoncierge.bsky.social @geoparadigm.bsky.social @jilly.bsky.social @mshlye.bsky.social @darrenmassa.com @cathyangelos.bsky.social @lyricalswordz.bsky.social @aturn4.bsky.social @jmarifernandez.bsky.social

bit.ly/EduMatch-Blu...

Thank you for creating this starter pack. If there is still space, I would love to be added.

Hi! Thank you for creating this starter pack. I would love to be added!

Thank you for creating this starter pack. If there is still room, I would love to be added.

Thank you for creating this starter pack. I would love to be added!

Saludos! Thank you for creating this starter pack. I would love to be added.

I've been asked by a few people what worries me most about the future in public schooling. What permanent damage might be inflicted? exacerbated? and what cautions might I give? Where to focus! First and foremost, protect the public assets - the land and buildings that are our public schools!

Hi Daisy! Thank you for creating this starter pack. I would love to be added!

Friends, please help add to this list. There are SO MANY more experts, advocates, reporters to include. (Sorry if i have omitted you in my haste to get the ball rolling) Thanks!
go.bsky.app/Jgd2uxn

I love to hear this! Right now, the design team and I are engaging in visioning sessions with middle and high school students. One of the exercises involves the students identifying topics for the related educator learning series in the spring. We should definitely find time to connect!