CC-Dwyane Betts Interview Clean

Mellon Dwayne7

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.

Mellon Dwayne5

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.

Mellon Dwayne4

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

Mellon Dwayne6

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.

OpenGraph FelonyandFreedomwithReginaldDwayneBetts

Felony and Freedom with Reginald Dwayne Betts

Artists as Catalysts

Artists as Catalysts Navigation Image

Beyond Incarceration

A side profile of a Black poet who is wearing glasses and a hat with a feather hat pin.

Borderlands Cultures

In portrait orientation, an aerial view of a major highway running parallel to a large border wall set on a hilly landscape

Civic Engagement

A man in a brown jacket stands in front of blue bulletin board that is covered with papers and advertisements  

Evolving Higher Education

A vertical image of an Indigenous person who is sitting on a chair in front of a backdrop.

Expanding Public Knowledge

An interior room filled with audio and video equipment 

Monuments and Memory

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Multivocality

Five people stand together in a group photo. They are laughing and smiling.

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" 

Related