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Family/Families

An old picture of three boys and their mother smiling sits inside a frame with words about family and love.
The Frame September 7, 2023
Rebuilding Family After Foster Care
Bad timing and a stint in juvenile detention prevented Matthew and Terrick from accessing the foster care resources offered to their youngest brother, Joseph.
Photographs by Max Whittaker
Life Inside April 29, 2022
My Son Nacear Was Killed on Memorial Day. It Took Me Two Years to Cry.
I was taking care of his kids, going to work, and helping my other children process their brother’s murder. I couldn’t have accomplished what I needed to if I had cried sooner.
Johndell Gredic, as told to
Life Inside April 28, 2022
People Often Say My Son ‘Passed Away.’ Darien Was Murdered.
If I see a car that looks like Darien’s or the sunlight hits just right, all of the sadness comes flooding back.
By Patricia Griffin, as told by
Life Inside April 27, 2022
My Son Alex Was Murdered at 21. Grief for Me Has Been Hurt, Anger and Bitterness
I’d put up reward posters, hoping somebody would say they knew what happened. Someone knew something, but they just wouldn’t give me any answers.
Christina Cherry, as told to
Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, a woman with dark brown skin and wearing a black blazer and shirt, stands in front of a gray studio background. She holds an image of her son Khaaliq Jabbar Johnson, who is wearing a graduation cap and gown.
Life Inside April 26, 2022
My Son Khaaliq Was Killed Over a Parking Space. Now I Help Other Mothers Grieve.
After a neighbor fatally shot her son in 2001, Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight started the anti-violence group Mothers in Charge. “I thought maybe two people would show up; the room was jam packed.”
Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, as told to
The cover of News Inside Issue 10. You can download the pdf <a href="https://d63kb4t2ifcex.cloudfront.net/upload/assets/news-inside-issue-10.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.
News Inside March 24, 2022
Freedom, Family and Faith
Issue 10 of News Inside explores the topics our incarcerated readers told us they care about most.
By
An illustration showcases Demetrius Buckley, who is currently incarcerated, in an orange prison suit and holding onto a phone. He looks through a window at his daughter, who is sitting alone in a park.
Life Inside March 11, 2022
The Powerlessness of Parenting From Prison
Demetrius Buckley thought his bond with his 11-year-old daughter was strong. But when he couldn’t physically protect his child from adult problems, he learned the limits of parenting via prison phone calls.
By
Life Inside October 21, 2021
I Was Sentenced to Life as a Juvenile. Now I Help Kids Build Brighter Futures.
Imprisoned for 25 years, Fred Weatherspoon was shocked to return to a Chicago he didn’t recognize. He found belonging in an unexpected way — working with vulnerable young people and their families.
By Fred Weatherspoon as told by
Life Inside July 1, 2021
“Daddy, if I Come See You, Will I Have to Be Locked up, Too?”
Recently reunited with his 10-year-old daughter, Demetrius Buckley struggles to push past the barriers of a maximum security prison to be present for his curious, whip-smart little girl.
By
M., 23, stands in the room she has prepared for her daughter at her home in Massachusetts in March of 2021. Since her newborn daughter was placed in foster care, M. has been forced to bond with her primarily through Zoom.
Coronavirus April 14, 2021
These Parents Had to Bond With Their Babies Over Zoom — or Lose Them Forever
During the pandemic, video chats replaced in-person visits between parents and their children placed in foster care. The effects could linger for years.
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