Stand Up and Tell the Truth

asha bandele (who writes her name in lower case), former editor of Essence magazine, is now the deputy director of public policy at the Drug Policy Alliance, where she works on organizing coalitions nationwide to help create meaningful and lasting drug policy reform. An accomplished poet, bandele is also author of The Prisoner's Wife and Daughter. She recently spoke with co-worker Teri Weefur about her journey from poet to activist.

You come from a very creative background, having worked at Essence magazine and being an author and a poet. How do you think your background and experience can contribute to the mission of drug policy reform?

I started my career as an organizer and any organizer needs to find out what role is best for her to play. I see my ability to write as one of the best ways I can contribute to the progressive movement. The challenge at Essence -- a publication that reaches some 7 million diverse readers each month -- was figuring out how to reach those readers who may not share the same beliefs I have. How do I get them to care about drug policy reform or prisons? I think my experience at Essence will be useful in helping the average person who needs to understand that the "war on drugs" is contributing to a less humane, less just society, which we sanction with our tax dollars.

What do you believe is the most flawed aspect of our drug laws?

I think the most obvious point is that we shouldn't be arresting people for what they put in their body, especially marijuana! But I think the biggest problem is the racial disparity. Minorities -- African Americans in particular --are the biggest targets of the "war on drugs." The discussion of race has got to be part of drug policy. If you're not talking about race at just about every juncture, then you're not talking about the drug war as it's construed in this nation.

In the short time you've been at the Alliance, how has your thinking on drug policy changed?

When I started talking to a young, white Marine who was losing his sight to glaucoma and who needed to use medical marijuana, he made me think about the people I wouldn't necessarily have considered before. I used to only think of the drug war through the lens of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, but learning that Marine's story makes me realize how much more complex it all is.

What do you think is the most effective way to divert young African Americans from entering the criminal justice system?

We have to understand that as long as young black men are viewed as criminals, nothing will change. And if there is a legislative scheme -- stated or unstated -- to expand the prison system, then there's nothing any one program is going to do. But we also know that when there are programs, mentors, community involvement and community empowerment vis à vis, after school programs, sports and the arts, young people feel like they have something to live for and they choose to live. That is the magic bullet.

There needs to be a full investment in the community, from a grassroots level upwards. I'm talking about nutrition, exercise, and true community involvement. It's when young people have that support that we see them making the right choices. It takes hard work, commitment and money, but it's less work than it takes to build and maintain a prison community.

Which systems should be in place to best reintegrate former prisoners back into society?

The first step is dismantling what's already in place. People can't be shut out of housing, jobs and society or be told they can't vote. Those barriers have to first be removed. If you walk out of prison and don't feel like part of society, you won't participate in it. It's like being invited to a party but told you have to stay in the foyer. You're never going to feel welcome.