Humbling Experiences

Jake (back left) with his community members

The past two weeks here at St. Michael Indian School have truly been life changing for me as a person. There have been a number of times in which I have simply stopped, taken a step back, and said, "Wow! I am here on the Navajo Reservation experiencing life in ways I didn't know were possible." One particular experience in which I was really struck with awe was about a week ago at our all school liturgy in honor of the newly canonized Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. For this mass, I was asked to participate in a couple ways that I have recognized made the experience extremely special for me.

A couple days before the liturgy, I was asked to help carry the Saint Kateri statue in during the opening procession and then out after mass. Immediately, I said yes and was excited to do it. But, I certainly didn't realize the feelings I would get while doing such a simple action. Once the native drummers and singers started the opening song and I began to help carry it, the feelings hit and were overwhelming. The entire congregation focusing on the statue of a woman that changed perspectives for years to come - and I was carrying her forward! Unbelievably humbling to say the least is how I would describe that experience. And you can bet that at the end of mass as I helped carry her out, the same feelings returned once again.

The other part of the mass that I was asked to help out with was being a Eucharistic minister. Again, I said yes without any hesitancy. However, I think I forgot how much of a humbling experience being a Eucharistic minister can be as well, especially when you are providing blessings to many of the students and faculty who are not of the Catholic faith. Words cannot describe the feeling of providing God's blessing to kindergartners, first graders, fifth graders, faculty, community members. In essence, these two experiences at the liturgy honoring a Native American woman struck me as life changing humbling experiences that I will never forget.

Jake DeMarais - St Michael Indian School - St. Michaels, AZ

Vehicle for Social Justice

Sometime during mid-October, I attended a hearing on solitary confinement at Temple University. One of our members, Shujaa Graham, was chosen to partake in a panel and give his testimony on the subject. I accompanied him during the hearing and that was my main reason for attending. Shujaa is an amazing and resilient individual who spent three years on death row and in solitary confinement, but he had spent many years in prison before that. While he was giving his testimony, his preacher-like charisma filled the room and many of us were brought to tears, including myself. He spoke about the absolute torture that is inflicted upon solitary confinement prisoners and that many of them are placed there, not because of their potential danger to other inmates, but because of their political views that could influence other prisoners to advocate for themselves against an unjust system. His testimony was well received and as he finished, people stood up, applauded and praised him for his powerful yet heart wrenching words. I was so honored to be in his presence. Shujaa is a true survivor; he won his freedom and affirmed his innocence “in spite of the system.”

          Being a part of Witness to Innocence has made me a more aware individual about the injustices surrounding Capital Punishment within the U.S. We are the only Western society that continues to practice legal homicide. The death penalty continues to perpetuate the cycle of violence within our country and it condemned our members to live a life that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Many of them deal with addiction and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of what they went through and had to endure during their incarceration. It is a grave injustice that innocent people can fall through the cracks within the criminal justice system because of its racism, poor legal representation and overall flawed protocol. Upon being exonerated, former inmates are not entitled to any type of benefits such as compensation, mental health services, and/or transitional resources. Even though they have been exonerated, their records still indicate that they have committed a felony and it serves as a tremendous road block within their lives. But through their resilience, they are able to travel throughout the world and share their stories while educating the public about the death penalty and innocence.

The road to world-wide death penalty abolition is far from over, but here at Witness to Innocence, I am able to be a vehicle for social justice and help those who have been inflicted by an unjust system. It is truly a blessing to serve our members and to be there for them. I am very grateful to have been chosen for this year of service and it continues to inspire me in my everyday life.

Veronika Castellanos - Witness to Innocence -Philadelphia, PA