October 2025 Newsletter

On October 20, 2025, I was at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in California. Just outside the prison, you can look out and see one of the most beautiful views in the world. Staring out on the bay, near the horizon, the fog slowly lifts and you would be surprised that a prison is within walking distance. Dozens and dozens of us showed up to the second annual San Quentin Film Festival, brought to us by Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, who's spent more than two decades of his life at San Quentin, and his cousin Cori Thomas—who is not really his cousin but is his cousin in the way that prison teaches you the profound ways that we choose our families.

For four hours, I watched six short films and one feature film. I wasn't surprised at the beauty of it, but I was surprised at how serious, complex, intricate, and deeply meaningful and moving the films were. Because often people tell you that there is only one story that comes out of prison. And that story is – if it's being spoken by the Department of Corrections, by COs, by wardens – a story of violence. And if it's being spoken by people Inside, it's a story about wanting to be free. But that is not nearly the whole truth.

What I heard at the film festival were stories of people working at becoming —working with their families, working with their friends, working with DoC staff.  As an audience, we were filmmakers, poets, writers, community members, actors (shout out to Jesse Williams and Leland Orser and Clarence Maclin). There were fathers and sons and daughters. And some of us were serving time at San Quentin. I sat weeping, laughing, inspired, as we watched a series of dope films. There was something beautiful, truthful in this that is attentive to all of the suffering that comes with it, but is also remarkably, lovingly embracing all the ways that we are human.

I was so humbled to receive the Elliot the G.O.A.T Impact Award and proud to be on stage while the powerful work of Freedom Reads was recognized. I wondered if there had been some mistake, if I had been mistaken for Michael Jordan after game six against the Jazz, and only I knew the lie. But the men around me, as they walked up and said, “I read Felon brother, that’s some good work.” Or “I read about Freedom Reads, you doing it.” I know we’re doing something that matters in this world. All of us collectively, working to do something that matters.  Still, it humbled me.

If this work matters to you, share the newsletter with one person. And ask them to do what I hope you will do, click the donate button. This is the truth: every time somebody donates money, it guarantees Freedom Reads continues the work of opening Freedom Libraries in prison cellblocks across this country, bringing hope and joy and beauty and a sense of what is possible in the future.

Reginald Dwayne Betts
Freedom Reads Founder & CEO

Framingham, MA — October 10, 2025 – Freedom Reads, an organization dedicated to transforming the lives of people in prison through literature, hosted a special event at MCI–Framingham featuring its CEO & Founder, Reginald Dwayne Betts, in conversation with acclaimed author, historian, and Harvard University professor, Dr. Imani Perry.

Freedom Reads Communications Associate, Craig L. Gore, reflects on his recent visit to MCI - Framingham.

I attended a book reading and discussion hosted by Freedom Reads on October 10th with acclaimed poet and Freedom Reads founder and CEO, Dwayne Betts, and award-winning author and Harvard professor, Imani Perry, at MCI-Framingham. When I arrived at the women’s prison I learned that it is the oldest operating women's prison in the country, opening in 1877. 

The courtyards appeared more modern than the corridors of the prison. Dwayne pointed out that there were trees on the prison grounds; “they got trees inside this joint.” I never saw a tree on the inside of prison gates. I pondered their historical significance. I felt anticipation from staff as we walked through the building; they were happy that Freedom Reads had made its way to their facility. One officer said, “About time!” I was lost in the history of the place as we were escorted through halls that led to the oldest and coldest gym that I have ever been in.  

By Craig L. Gore, Communications Associate

The who, behind those words is still a blur to me almost 40 years later. The impact of those words on my young mind proved strong during the many tumultuous moments of my life.  It is always something that I read, or remember reading, that helps me to overcome obstacles and survive the storms I encounter in life.

I heard those words in 1991 as a juvenile in New Haven County Jail pretending to be an adult; literally. I had been arrested, again, after being released from Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire, CT, a few weeks prior.  This time the charge was robbery in the 1st degree; I had violated CT General statute 53a-134.  I was 16 years old, and I was a fugitive.

At Freedom Reads, stories are at the heart of everything we do. They build bridges, open doors, and remind us what transformation looks like in real time. Craig L. Gore is a natural story-teller who brings both craftsmanship and compassion to his dual role as a Communications Associate and a member of the Library Production team.

By Mobolaji Otuyelu, Creative Assistant

When Tim O'Brien came back from Vietnam, he was struck by how little his hometown understood how far their world was from the one he’d experienced in the army. Out of that chasm, The Things They Carried was born. A book that gathered the stories of men he served with — Jimmy Cross, Kiowa, Norman Bowker — and held them close. Through their stories, O’Brien wrote of the weight each man carried: memory, fear, love, and the small, fragile things that made them human.

This October, Freedom Reads was featured across two major platforms: NPR and The Washington Post. We were also featured by Malay Mail, France.Info and A Second Chance Podcast. Our work and the stories we carry continue to resonate; each feature a reminder of how far Freedom Reads has come and how deeply its mission continues to inspire.

Follow Freedom Reads on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get regular updates about our work, new Freedom Library openings, and the stories that keep this movement alive.

Join Freedom Reads Founder and CEO, Reginald Dwayne Betts and cognitive scientist Dr. Alexandra Horowitz for an evening of readings and conversation about what dogs can teach us about seeing the world differently.  

Each newsletter we aim to share at least one letter (or excerpt) from one of Freedom Reads now 37,000-plus Freedom Library patrons. Freedom Reads receives many letters from the Inside. They mean so much to us. And we respond to each and every one of them.