Editor's Note: This summer De-Bug is fortunate to have two summer interns Kara and Itzel in collaboration with the UCLA Labor Center Dream Summer program. Itzel and Kara are learning and creating media with us and headed to the Sister Warriors convening in Oakland, an event organized by the Young Women's Freedom Center to build a movement of formerly incarcerated and system involved women and girls. This is their account of the day with their first photo essay.

Itzel on the left, our Nashville sister Dawn from FreeHearts.org in the middle and Kara on the right 

We had the opportunity to attend the Sister Warriors Kick-off convening in Oakland put on by the Young Women's Freedom Center. The event provided a space for cis and trans women and young girls who have been impacted by the system of incarceration, either through personal experience or having a loved one directly impacted. Throughout the event, Itzel and I were able to share space with powerful women who had come from different parts of California and even the East Coast. The convening allowed folx to share not just their experiences but what they wanted and needed in order to create change and dismantle the oppressive systems. I appreciated a lot of the workshops and learned a lot from them, such as the one focusing on how to protect our undocumented community against the threat of ICE and further criminalization. For the last couple of months I have been working and primarily learning from the trans and incarcerated undocumented community. Attending this convening helped me see the system of incarceration in a wider lens and how it plagues and targets different communities. Events such as this one are needed not only for educational reasons, but to provide a brave and empowering space for the women of color in our communities and to remind us the meaning of true liberation. -Kara Rivera     

The event I went to was about creating a safe space for women who were incarcerated, and they believe there is a need to create changes in the system to have more assistance while being in custody. The knowledge I had overall, was that ALL men and women, are not treated fairly. I learned that the discrimination against women is worse because men still have more privilege than women. I was very impressed how united they seem to be by coming from a similar environment and sharing the same goal, which is to have a stable life once they're out because some come out having nothing thus making it harder to break the cycle of not going back to prison. Also, to help change policies that can help those who are currently still incarcerated. I strongly believe there needs to be more awareness so we can help change policies. Although people are in prison they still have rights, regardless of their genders. I want to get involved in politics in order to make many changes for an issue like this and raise the awareness to the community. There is hope but there needs to be more people aware of the issue to unite more individuals to have an equitable society even if people are incarcerated system. -Itzel Sanchez 

        "There are many programs for men but not really for women..." Carmen

The convening provided a healing space, with massages, meditation and etc.

All photos by Kara Rivera and Itzel Sanchez