Every Sentence Has a Story

An Invitation To Discover Our Shared Humanity

The Let Me Tell You project was designed to provide a framework for the legislative prisoner advocacy that is underway in Michigan. The site seeks to build connections, help create a space where the public might listen to stories from people who are serving long term and life sentences in prison. When we understand the our shared humanity, we’re able to question systemic inhumanity. How might we create a site that encouraged people to put aside their judgements and listen to voices that we rarely hear?

When we were researching sites within prisoner advocacy, we noted that many of them used the oppressed bodies (particularly of Black men) to illustrate pain, in a way that felt misaligned and objectifying. How could this site avoid this dehumanizing trope? We created a site that felt warm and welcoming— that held space for stories of grief, trauma, and loss— but also could contain the many stories of growth and change, community and resilience.

We are so proud of this one! We’re honored to have collaborated with this community and continue to help the site grow.