"Life Will Find a Way."
In the deep South, Alabama’s prisons were a crucible for the fight for civil rights, a battlefront against institutionalized racism and injustice. Leon Kennedy, born into the heart of this struggle, found himself entangled in the web of systemic oppression that plagued African Americans. His incarceration was not just a personal ordeal but a reflection of the broader socio-political climate of the era. Enduring the harsh realities of prison life, he encountered brutality and dehumanization that were stark reminders of the relentless fight for equality outside those prison walls. His experiences mirrored the struggles of countless civil rights activists who faced similar fates for daring to challenge the status quo. Despite the grim circumstances, the fire of resistance burned brightly within him, fueled by the teachings and legacies of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. as well as his grandfather, Joseph Lowery. Leon’s story is a testament to resilience and the unyielding spirit of the civil rights movement, illuminating the path toward justice and human dignity.
“Maybe, I mean, like with the Myanmar thing, nobody’s talking about it. You don’t hear it on the radio. You don’t hear it in the media. The media is blacking it completely out.”
“It's amazing to me, the amount of people in prison in Alabama. There is no other prison system like in Alabama. In Alabama, there’re suffering so hard. And it's amazing to me, the amount of people, it is mostly black people in prison in Alabama. And most of the people who are helping and advocating, they are either the families of the guys in prison, the women, the women, and/or white people, white attorneys, where are the black people? Because that’s most of us; there are mostly black men in the prison. So, where are the black lawyers?
Maybe this is some of that Civil Rights [Movement] stuff in my blood, but I don't mind calling it out. Look, I'm not scared. My mom used to tell me, ‘I don't think you got sense enough to be scared.’ But where are all the black attorneys? Well, where are they? These are some of your quote unquote, ‘homeboys.’ They're either your cousins or whatever. Where are all the black men advocating for these guys in prison? These guys are dying. So, I don't deal with a lot of guys out here with the superficial things, when I've seen in real time how men are dying.
I've seen guys just fall over dead on the toilet next to me, just for being imprisoned so long and gotten high blood pressure, just died, right there like that. So, I've seen it. I understand what you’re saying when you say you've seen these kids in this suffering, and so this other menial stuff over here doesn't really mean jack to me.
Maybe unless you've been through something, you're not gonna know how the next man feels. And those are the core values that I think that I've learned growing up. Until you walked in that other man's shoes, you don't know what it feels like. But once you do that, or you've seen it and been there, you’re going to look at it completely different. Maybe society hasn't suffered enough as a whole.
Even though the earth is dying, maybe they haven't suffered enough as a whole, just to want to help each other to fix it. Maybe, I mean, like with the Myanmar thing, nobody's talking about it. You don't hear it on the radio. You don't hear it in the media. The media is blacking it completely out. So, until it touches home. That's when people start waking up. But by that time, you've watched so much suffering, so many people have died and suffered needlessly, the world is a terrible place right now. There are bright spots here and there. Again, I know I might sound a little cheesy for saying this, but platforms such as this, such as our friend Jonathan [Crowley], such as Vipassana or whatever faith you believe in, it's making you hold on and fight, hold onto values, your core value system, integrity, those principles, maybe there is a chance. Maybe life will find a way.”