To Our NPEP Community
“... these walls we build in our minds and hearts make sense when we don’t know any better—the more walls we build around ourselves, the less space we have to grow and be free ...” — Yung Pueblo
A tutor once told me, “It's okay to not be okay.” At the time, I didn't understand the meaning behind the phrase. In this issue of the Northwestern Insider, one of our focuses is on health and wellness and the effects it has on the members of the NPEP community. With our publication, we provide a platform for NPEP members to express themselves and bring awareness to their physical and mental wellness.
One of the biggest challenges faced by most NPEP community members is trying to find the balance between being a student and an incarcerated resident. As NPEP alumni and students, we’re allotted the privileges of education and community. For two to three days a week, for three hours per day, we’re allowed to escape from the harsh reality of confinement. Our cages are replaced by classrooms, our steel bars are replaced by bookshelves, and our peers are replaced with outside civilians who help and support us academically and emotionally.
Education is our safe haven—but what happens when that space becomes tainted? When three hours feel like one, or when three days of school are cut down to one or none? What happens when academics are overshadowed by poor living conditions, inadequate healthcare, and de facto life sentences? Our mental health becomes compromised and our role as students or alumni feels more like a burden than a blessing.
The contributors to the health and wellness section of this issue offer an in-depth look into the trauma and obstacles that the NPEP community faces on a regular basis. In these pages, we tell our stories.
When it's all said and done, we’re not making excuses. Instead, we’ve embraced the pressure and cherish the opportunity of receiving a higher education, while building a community that’s centered around love and reconciliation. At the end of the day, “It’s okay to not be okay.”
Best wishes,
Tony Triplett, NPEP Graduate, Writer and Editor
