A line of volunteers snaked through and around the Boxcar Books building Monday morning. The volunteers held letters from prisoners in correctional facilities throughout the Midwest.
These prisoners had written requests for books from the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project, an organization focused on offering opportunities to read and learn for incarcerated citizens. On Monday volunteers read each letter and chose donated books to send to prisoners.
“I think prisoners are human beings just as we are, so having something to distract you while you’re in prison is a great thing,” volunteer and IU student Marie Kalas said. “Also, books are educational and can bring you into a different world and just let you escape your situation and your troubles for a little while.”
The event was one of many service opportunities that took place Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Volunteer coordinator Mars Johnson said they hoped this event would capture the spirit of service while providing effective help.
“We want to carry on the idea of asking people what they need and providing service and resources for people who need it,” Johnson said. “We want to honor MLK’s legacy by just serving people who don’t get the opportunities they deserve.”
Kyle Stanley, volunteer and head of philanthropy at Read Center, said he agrees that all people have a right to an education.
“Prisoners are still a population in this country,” he said. “They may not be seen every day or be in the forefront on everyone’s mind, but they are still people and citizens who are part of our society. They can’t be forgotten.”
Johnson said this lack of educational opportunities can turn into a cycle that keeps incarcerated citizens in prison.
They said this cycle of incarceration adds to a societal stigma against prisoners. This stigma paints an incomplete and flawed picture of prisoners, Johnson said.
“They aren’t really these dangerous, terrible people that we are often taught to believe,” they said. “A lot of them are just trying their best to get by.”
Stanley said the stigma attached to these prisoners and the crimes they committed should not deter them from learning opportunities.
“Just because somebody made a mistake and did a crime does not mean they shouldn’t have opportunities to further their education and further their minds,” he said.
