Join incarcerated journalists Kwaneta Harris, Lyle C. May and Rayne Vylette as they illustrate the reach of the carceral system, from within the bowels of prisons where punitive policies incubate, to the free world where those same policies manifest in every home, work place, and community connected to an incarcerated person.

Specifically, the carceral system is a frontline for experiments in censorship and social control. Censored by Prisons, Censored by TedX* will present incarcerated speakers discussing specific penal policies that are being mirrored by laws in the larger society, laying bare how prison has metastasized into something that threatens free society, and what can be done to fight back. The speakers aim to better inform the public about the danger of carceral expansion and authoritarian control, using experiences in prison that connect with current affairs in the free world as examples. Harris, May and Vylette are taking significant risk to speak from their own experiences and warn the public about the loss of their rights under the guise of "safety" and "morality." Prisons are a public responsibility, a part of the community that can be a valuable resource for information if only the community is willing to listen.

*This speaker series was originally pitched to the TedX organization under the name TedX: Carceral State, but was rejected because the Carceral State is not a specific place. This is an independently produced event not affiliated in any way with Ted Talks or TedX.

***Register through Ticket Tailor to receive a link to the live-streamed video on the day of the event. This event will also be recorded and captioning will be provided.***

Speakers:

Kwaneta Harris (she/her) is a former nurse, business owner, and expat, now an incarcerated journalist, from Detroit. In her writing she illuminates how the experience of being incarcerated in the largest state prison in Texas is vastly different for women in ways that directly map onto a culture rooted in misogyny. Her stories expose how the intersection of gender, race, and place contribute to state-sanctioned, gender-based violence.
Harris is an abolition feminist and through her writing she offers a peek inside the brutal criminal legal system, with hope to reimagine effective non-carceral solutions for those who harm. She writes about abortion, censorship, and climate change and how they affect systems-impacted people. Her writings have appeared in PEN America, Truthout, Lux magazine, Prism, Appeal, Slate, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Teen Vogue, and elsewhere. She was interviewed for a documentary by Al Jazeera about solitary confinement, in which she has been detained the last eight of her seventeen years incarcerated. She is currently working on a book about the youth from juvenile who are her neighbors in solitary confinement.

Lyle C. May is an Ohio University alum, member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society, Authors Guild, and is currently finishing his Bachelors in Arts degree in Law and Sociology through Adams State University. An incarcerated journalist, abolitionist, and public speaker, May is also author of Witness: An Insider's Narrative of the Carceral State (Haymarket Books, 2024), and The Transformative Journey of Higher Education in Prison: A Class of One (Routledge Academic Press, 2024). For more information visit LyleCMay.com.

Rayne Vylette is a transgender woman and activist who is currently incarcerated again in Florida after violating probation. While free, she worked to advocate for the trans community by working to plan and create resources and participating in panels, such as the panel on surviving in prison as a trans woman, and how to stay safe. She is also a stylist and seamstress and loves to both dress well and to help others do the same. Rayne enjoys writing and public speaking, and is an active member and officer in her institution's Toastmasters Gavel Club. She also continues her advocacy while inside as a part of the Alyssa Rodriguez Center for Gender Justice.

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This event is co-sponsored by Haymarket Books, Interrupting Criminalization, and Muslim Counterpublics Lab. While all of our events are freely available, we ask that those who are able make a solidarity donation in support of our important publishing and programming work.