Call Declined Lemonada

Kamisha Thomas and Aimee Wissman are extraordinary–they are brilliant artists and the founders of The Returning Artists Guild, a non-profit organization that supports artists that have been in prison and some who are still inside. But they have had long and difficult journeys to get to this point. 

 

In this first episode of our four-part series, Aimee and Kamisha share their personal stories. From where they grew up and the art they loved as kids to the ways that poverty, abuse, racism, and addiction shaped their lives…and ultimately, how they ended up in prison. 

 

Additional Resources:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/

They Followed Doctors’ Orders. Then Their Children Were Taken Away (NYT Mag): www.nytimes.com/2023/06/29/magazine/pregnant-women-medication-suboxonbabies.html 

Incarceration Trends in Ohio (Vera):  https://www.vera.org/downloads/pdfdownloads/state-incarceration-trends-ohio.pdf 

Mass Incarceration Trends (The Sentencing Project):https://www.sentencingproject.org/app/uploads/2023/01/Mass-Incarceration-Trends.pdf 

 

Call Declined is hosted by Melissa Beck and presented by the Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The Foundation’s goal is to increase access to mental healthcare in order to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Learn more at www.SozoseiFoundation.org. 

 

The Sozosei Foundation extends special thanks to Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas, visionary artists and co-founders of The Returning Artists Guild whose creativity, resilience, and lived experience inspire us to build a world where mental illness is not a crime. To learn more about the Guild visit www.thereturningartistsguild.org.

 

And stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. 

 

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

 

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

 

Please note that this podcast contains mature content, including explicit language and discussions about drug use and other potentially sensitive topics. The views expressed are solely those of the participants and do not reflect the opinions of the Sozosei Foundation, podcast host or sponsors. Listener discretion is advised. This content is intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for all listeners.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is it important to learn about prison from people who have been directly impacted? Well, in this episode, Aimee and Kamisha share their own stories about incarceration – and what they tell us reveals a lot about community services, mental health and substance use treatment, intergenerational family trauma, and mass incarceration in our country. 

 

Aimee and Kamisha also explain how they got started making art in prison and talk about the people and opportunities that inspired them to create The Returning Artists Guild. 



Additional Resources:

Incarcerated Women and Girls (The Sentencing Project): https://www.sentencingproject.org/app/uploads/2023/05/Incarcerated-Women-and-Girls-1.pdf 

Pens to Pictures Panel Discussion (Chinonye Chukwu and others): https://wexarts.org/education/pens-pictures

For They Know Not (Aimee Wissman’s Pens to Pictures Film): https://vimeo.com/356550411 

BANG! (Kamisha Thomas’s Pens to Pictures Film): https://vimeo.com/356291769 

Story Chain (Jonathan Platt): https://story-chain.org/

Reentry Stories  (Mary Evans/WYSO): https://www.wyso.org/reentrystories

The Inside Out Prison Exchange Program: https://www.insideoutcenter.org/ 

 

Call Declined is hosted by Melissa Beck and presented by the Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The Foundation’s goal is to increase access to mental healthcare in order to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Learn more at www.SozoseiFoundation.org. 

 

The Sozosei Foundation extends special thanks to Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas, visionary artists and co-founders of The Returning Artists Guild whose creativity, resilience, and lived experience inspire us to build a world where mental illness is not a crime. To learn more about the Guild visit www.thereturningartistsguild.org.

 

Thank you for listening to Call Declined. To help us learn more about what is resonating and how we can keep creating great content, please take our short listener survey at bit.ly/calldeclined.

 

And stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. 

 

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

 

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

 

Please note that this podcast contains mature content, including explicit language and discussions about drug use and other potentially sensitive topics. The views expressed are solely those of the participants and do not reflect the opinions of the Sozosei Foundation, podcast host or sponsors. Listener discretion is advised. This content is intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for all listeners.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call Declined follows the story of two talented artists, Kamisha Thomas and Aimee Wissman, whose lives became intertwined in prison after the systems in place to ensure their well-being failed them. This story of fortitude, friendship, and the power of creativity takes listeners along on the pathways that led Kamisha and Aimee to prison, how they survived incarceration, and the journey to freedom that led to the creation of The Returning Artists Guild.

Call Declined is hosted by Melissa Beck and presented by the Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The Foundation’s goal is to increase access to mental healthcare in order to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Learn more at www.SozoseiFoundation.org. 

The Sozosei Foundation extends special thanks to Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas, visionary artists and co-founders of The Returning Artists Guild whose creativity, resilience, and lived experience inspire us to build a world where mental illness is not a crime. To learn more about the Guild visit www.thereturningartistsguild.org.

And stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. 

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For far too long, the United States has put mental healthcare on the back burner. Through enormous advocacy and the initiation and rollout of the 988 hotline, a theoretical lifeline is now at the fingertips of every American. But in a country with a deep history of criminalizing mental health, will 988 live up to its potential? Today, Stephanie explores how 988 came to be, along with all the promise and peril it carries. Weekly special correspondent Zak Williams shares his personal mental health journey, how stigma impacted his father, Robin Williams, and how the actor’s death inspired him to become a mental health advocate. We also meet Congressman Seth Moulton, mental health advocate Keris Myrick, Executive Director of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline John Draper, and Director of the Sozosei Foundation Melissa Beck.

 

SHOW NOTES

Get to Know 988

Learn about your state’s plan for funding 988.

https://reimaginecrisis.org/map/

Advocate

Email your representatives and sign a petition to request crisis services that are unique to your state and your community. 

https://nami.quorum.us/crisisadvocacy/

988 Policy

Dig into policy documents, resources and much more information.

https://www.sozoseifoundation.org/sozosei-foundation-updates

Listen to UBU

Keris Myrick’s podcast Unapologetically Black Unicorns.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unapologetically-black-unicorns/id1568804071

Watch Zak’s Documentary

To learn more about Zak’s mental health journey and advocacy, you can watch the Oprah and Prince Harry’s documentary series “The Me You Can’t See”.

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-me-you-cant-see/umc.cmc.4amwght1qtt8ioilwr0mgnf6d

 

Call for Help is presented by Sozosei Foundation: A catalyst for ideas that nurture creative solutions for healthier communities. Learn more at SozoseiFoundation.org.

The Jed Foundation is a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. Visit JedFoundation.org for more information.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization. Learn more at nami.org.

The Just Trust is a group of funds one hundred percent dedicated to advancing criminal justice reform, state-by-state and across the country. Visit TheJustTrust.org to learn more. 

 

CREDITS

Call for Help is a Lemonada original, presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story-editing were done by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Zak Williams and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support.

Follow Stephanie on Twitter and Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, Taun Hall’s 18 year-old son, Miles, was in the midst of a mental health crisis in their affluent, suburban community of Walnut Creek, California. The police responded, and within 30 seconds, Miles was shot and killed. What would have happened if Taun called 988 instead of 911? Would Miles still be alive? With insight from Taun Hall, Tom Insel, Dr. Altha Stewart, and Asantewaa Boykin, Stephanie explores how we got stuck with such a fractured system in the first place, the human toll, particularly in communities of color, and how communities are fighting to build better solutions for all. Zak Williams, our Special Service Correspondent, joins with specific actions we can take in the fight. 

 

SHOW NOTES

Navigating CrisisCheck out the guide from NAMI to learn how to navigate a crisis and the JED Foundation on how to talk to your friends who might be struggling.

https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Living-with-a-Mental-Health-Condition/What-to-Do-In-a-Crisis

https://jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center/

Mental Health x Criminal JusticeExplore the intersection between mental health and criminal justice.

https://thejusttrust.org/

https://campaignzero.org/#vision

Support Our GuestsLearn more about Taun Hall’s work getting 988 policy passed in her community, and read about what Asantewaa Boykin is doing to make mental health crisis response more accessible. 

https://www.themileshallfoundation.org/

https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/mh-first-oakland

CREDITS

Call For Help is a Lemonada Media original presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story editing were done by me, Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Zak Williams, Jessica Cordova Kramer and me. We are so grateful to our show sponsors The Jed Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness and The Just Trust. And a special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support. 

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @wittelsstephanie, and stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @lemonadamedia. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series, you can visit lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. And finally, to follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, we saw what happens when a mental health emergency falls into the wrong hands. So what happens when a comprehensive system, run by well-trained mental health staff, is in place? Today, Stephanie visits a state that exemplifies the gold standard of crisis response: Arizona. Yes, really. While Arizona is typically known for messy politics and scandalous policing, they have been quietly building a best-in-class mental-health response plan since the 1980s. With the roll out of 988, what can other states learn from Arizona? We go inside a dispatch center and ride along with mobile crisis teams to find out firsthand. Plus, Zak is back with tips on how you can help make the Arizona model a reality everywhere. 

SHOW NOTES

Become a Call Specialist

Consider volunteering or getting a job with your local crisis hotline.

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/jobs

 

Share Your Story

If you have lived experience, share your story with NAMI.

https://nami.org/Get-Involved/Share-Your-Story

 

Youth Mental Health

Learn more about protecting the emotional and mental health of young people.

https://jedfoundation.org/bts2022-for-youth/

 

CREDITS

Call for Help is a Lemonada original, presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story-editing were done by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Zak Williams and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support.

Follow Stephanie on Twitter and Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.