By Aziah Siid | Word In Black
(WIB) – The holiday season can be a time of healing and hope as family members come together in celebration. It can also be a time of grief and loss as you mourn a loved one who isn’t there in the flesh to enjoy the festivities. And it could also be a time of emptiness, especially for youth, who are partaking in the holidays with one or both of their parents absent due to being incarcerated.
Multiple studies show having incarcerated parents impacts kids’ physical and mental health, as well as their cognitive abilities. Students with an incarcerated parent are more likely to be suspended or expelled, and less likely to go to college.
Approximately 10 million children had a parent imprisoned at some point in their lives. And a 2022 analysis of federal data by the Prison Policy Initiative found that roughly “half (47%) of the approximately 1.25 million people in state prison are parents of minor children, and about 1 in 5 (19%) of those children is age 4 or younger.”
The initiative found that “69% of people in state prison report having one or more children of any age, and 69% of those have a child under 18.”
And race, as with everything in the United States, is a factor. Data from the National Institutes of Health shows Black children are 7.5 times more likely than white children to have a parent in prison.
Ky-Asha Holiday, 24, dealt with parental incarceration throughout her childhood, and adult life. Her father comes home from his latest stint in prison in less than five days. It’s been 8 years since he’s had his freedom.
“He was so far away from me, and traveling would always take two days,” Holiday tells Word In Black. “The processing procedure when you get to the facility was also a headache. I honestly feel like it affected both of us because he had to watch me grow up over the phone and over the few visits when we got to see each other.”
Although a big part of her life was attached to the prison system, at 24 years old, she can’t recall a single organization that supported her through the journey.
“I can’t remember it ever being any programs to help me cope with my dad being incarcerated. I received the help from my family and friends,” Holiday says. “I was super grateful that he kept in touch and still did what he could for me when he could and I’ll never take that away from him”.
Even though nearly 10 million children had an imprisoned parent in their lifetime, students in the past and present can agree the may not have had the proper support channels outside of their loved ones. Here are three that can help:
1. Children of Promise, NYC
Children of Promise, NYC is an organization leading the charge in protecting, supporting, and providing resources to youth with caregivers in prison. The community-centered organization partners with children and families impacted by mass incarceration to help dismantle stigmas, and help heal from the trauma plaguing Black and Brown communities.
We are the only agency in NYC that seamlessly provides access to therapeutic empowerment services, one-on-one mentoring, after-school programming, and family engagement.
In November, they hosted their annual Thanksgiving Drive for nearly 100 students that was sponsored and supported by the likes of rapper Fetty Wap, rap group 41 The Movement, and entertainer Lala Anthony.
2. Angel Tree
Angel Tree is a direct link from church to families.
The organization equips churches to strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children and support the families of prisoners all year-round. One in 49 children in the U.S. has a parent behind bars, so the hope is to help children know they are treasured and loved.
Angel Tree Christmas gives incarcerated parents a way to provide both a Christmas gift and personal message, that is delivered by local volunteers.
Every Angel Tree family is also given access to a free, easy-to-read copy of the Bible, and access to the church, with the hope that prisoners’ families may continue to minister to the family all throughout the year.
3. WE GOT US NOW
Founded in 2018 by Ebony Underwood, WE GOT US NOW, is a non-profit who advocates for the well being of children and young adults with incarcerated parents. They are set on creating awareness about this sub-population of marginalized children by focusing on engaging, educating, elevating, and empowering.
With a community made up of folks directly impacted by mass incarceration, and those who seek criminal justice reform, they work as one to move the needle in the direction of equity, and even an end to the mass trafficking of bodies into the jail and prison system.
“We apply our guiding principles through public education, narrative change, technical advisement, civic engagement, leadership development, well-being and policy reform,” the website says.