Carceral Reflections | IAN VALENCIA

Ian has been incarcerated since the age of 17. It has been 15 years. Since his initial incarceration, Ian has studied an array of philosophies and religions, written short stories and poems and has evolved into a human being far from the child that was locked away so long ago.

It is through this growth that Ian connects with the people of Gaza, the Uyghur of China, and every other oppressed or marginalized human in the world—especially those in US prisons. He has learned that crime and violence isn’t innate to humanity, it is cultivated and grown through systemic oppression, poverty, and racial and class bias. The “War on Crime” is the denial of society’s responsibility to correct such inequities and the things we often see on the news is a result of that.

Ian hopes to utilize his growth and experience in an effort to affect change by bringing awareness to those who cannot see and lending a hand to those in need.

This piece of art was inspired by the carceral system in America and the similarities to the conflict in Gaza.

An accompanying article and poem are available here.