Calls From Home in Solidarity with Free the Mississippi Five

Come join Study and Struggle as we watch and hear from a panel of local and national organizers in solidarity in the campaign to Free The Mississippi Five.

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: The Mississippi Five are a group of women who were sentenced to life with the possibility of parole during the “Tough on Crime”-era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. They are now between the ages of 59 and 83 years old. Despite their achievements, personal growth, the loss of loved ones outside, and even recantations of key witnesses, they continue to be denied parole irrespective of their actions. The Mississippi Five have collectively been imprisoned for over 175 years and denied parole 47 times. The campaign fights to Free the Five while exposing the parole board's function, in the words of organizer Pauline Rogers, as "judge, jury, and executioner."

About and : Calls from Home (2023, dir. Sylvia Ryerson) is an "intimate portrait of rural Pr*son expansion" that "documents WMMT-FM’s longstanding radio show that sends messages over the public airwaves to reach those incarcerated in Central Appalachia. For many, the show provides a lifeline to the world outside. Sharing the stories of the family and friends who call in, and those who listen in from Pr*son, the film portrays the many forms of distance that rural Pr*son building creates—and the ceaseless search to end this system of mass incarceration and family separation."

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After the film, hear from advocates and organizers in Minnesota as well the campaign to Free the Five on both sides of the walls as they discuss their work to dismantle mass incarceration and bring home their loved ones.

Panelists include:

• Loretta Pierre of the Mississippi Five
• Garrett Felber from the Campaign to Free the Mississippi Five

Host or Publisher Working Films