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“Your son was doomed to die that day,” one of the voices said on the other end as I pushed the phone further into my ear. She and another staff member of Macon State Prison had called...

The beautiful, young business woman, Shanquella Robinson left her home of Charlotte, NC with a group of friends headed to celebrate a friend’s birthday in Cabo, Mexico...

Just like that, I had been kicked out of the club of the “mothers of incarcerated kids,” and forced into this “bereaved parents’ club.”

What if I had gone through with the abortion that twenty three autumns ago. What if I never had the chance to know and love Sip. What if I never birthed this son I later lost.

My name is Jennifer Bradley. My son, Carrington Frye, was murdered by another inmate at Macon State Prison on March 20, 2020. On the day of Carrington's murder there was said to have been only 1 guard to oversee and surveil 188 inmates. Carrington laid in the Sally port about 30 to 40 minutes bleeding out from stab wounds to his neck and chest awaiting the critically limited crew. The one guard present that day never stepped out of her booth. I was notified of my son’s murder and the circumstances surrounding his death approximately six hours after the incident, not by any prison official, but by another inmate. The officials of the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) have yet to speak with me concerning what happened to my son. Not only have they refused to speak with me, but the officials at Macon State Prison failed to secure and return Carrington’s personal belongings to me, and have denied having any records on him. Carrington had been incarcerated since he was seventeen years old as a first offender on aggravated assault charges. At the time of his murder, he was just months shy of his 24 birthday, and his release from prison. Starting with the day my son was murdered, I have been lied to and given the run-around, and pretty much ignored by Warden Perry, the Facilities Director; Scott Crickmar, and the GDC. I even attempted to relay my concerns to Commissioner Timothy Ward, whose disposition was rude, defensive, and insensitive. Commissioner Ward refused to have a conversation with me and ended the call abruptly. I must admit, his response was disheartening; as I am a grieving mother whose son lost his life in one of Commissioner Ward’s Prisons. As one of the “Gatekeepers” of the GDC, I would think a conversation with a bereaved mother would be the least he could have done. I've also emailed Commissioner Ward inquiring about changes that are being implemented to help ensure the safety of other inmates; I have yet to hear from him. I’ve written to the office of Governor Brian Kemp, twice, not only concerning the murder of my son, but also the rampant violence and deplorable conditions of Macon State Prison. Just like his subordinates, Governor Kemp has failed to acknowledge me and my concerns, my son's murder, and the unconstitutional conditions of Macon State Prison. I have tirelessly poured out my heart in correspondence to the U.S Department of Justice pleading for a full investigation into Macon State Prison. Again, it appears I’ve fallen on deaf ears. Is there a leader anywhere who cares about this life and death issue that affects the lives of the people who’ve helped put them in positions of political power?! This is not an “incarcerated folks” problem. This is a societal problem. What happened to Carrington is not an isolated incident, but a systemic issue of inhumane conditions, corruption, injury and death. The critical staffing shortage, improperly trained staff, lack of appropriate security and surveillance, obscured and improperly working security cameras, corruption and breakdown in communication processes have placed the Georgia Department of Corrections in a crisis. There have been far too many murders at Macon State Prison alone. Our loved ones are not coming home. And those who do are often worse off; inflicted with mental illnesses; PTSD, depression, sleep deprivation, and paranoia; from things they’ve witnessed and experienced behind those prison walls. Many of these same offenders are released back into society in a continuous cycle of untreated mental illness, frequent ER visits with unpaid, and piling healthcare debt, reactive criminal thinking and recidivism.  Our Gatekeepers need to be held accountable to the obligations of their position, and their duty to uphold the Constitution for ALL. We cannot afford for our leaders to continue to ignore this grave issue. My son, and many others have paid with their blood. Please help me in this urgent call to action for the U.S Department of Justice to launch a full investigation into the deplorable conditions of Macon State Prison, and the GDC as a whole; In hopes that what happened to Carrington will not happen to another prisoner.

My son lost his life to the festering wound, that is our criminal justice system. The injustices, and extreme risk of injury and death ooze like puss throughout the entire infected establishment.

Have you ever had a cup of some Black Girl Puddin' / Made you do things you thought you wouldn’t / Even worked things out when you thought it couldn’t

When we think of a city with an undeniable culture of good vibes, an insatiable appetite for the arts, influential and ambitious black folk, and the hypest network scene ever, the “A” is always at the top of the list! Jermaine Dupri said it best in his hit tune, Welcome to Atlanta , “People from other cities used to drive for miles just to come get a taste of this Atl style!” This is exactly the case with the beautiful bosses of Soeur Connect. Soeur, the French term for “sister,” placed with the word, connect was created to join like-minded individuals in an effort to build an empire based on collaboration instead of competition. These thirteen entrepreneurs traveled from their home state of Florida to shake up the scene in the Atl with their very first, but oh so successful “Her Vibes Network Mixer!!” Now y’all know Atlanta got the ladies, and they all showed up and showed out at this networking event; with business cards in hand and products in tow. The ambiance was one of sheer support and empowerment, love, light and laughter; not the competitive or out-for-self propaganda that has tainted the reputation of us black women for as long as I can remember.

By this time four years ago the black community was in an uproar over the controversial July 13th death of Sandra Bland. You remember Sandra Bland. How could any of us ever forget the story of the Grand Prairie A&M University Grad who was due to start a job there that summer before being found dead in her jail cell. She had just moved to Waller County, Texas from Illinois when she was pulled over that morning by then, State Trooper, Brian Encinia. What started out as a simple ‘failure to signal’ traffic stop had escalated to Encinia attempting to pull Sandra Bland from her vehicle after she refused to put out a cigarette that she was smoking in her car. Encinia then shouted "I will light you up! Get out! Now,” after drawing his taser. Bland was placed on the ground and arrested; being falsely charged with assault on a police officer. The world watched most of the events of that arrest unfold from Brian Encinia's dash cam. Three days later, on the morning of July 13th in the Waller County Jail, Bland was found hanging from her jail cell. Her death; which brought a myriad of questions and speculations, her arrest, and the details surrounding them ignited both, national protests and outrage. How did a stop for failure to signal go so unnaturally wrong? Isn’t that simply what it is? A probably cause. A stop. A warning or a citation. Why couldn’t Brian Encinia do just that; live and let live, then went on about his day, and let Sandra Bland went on about hers. But that was far too simple…and lawful. It was only a matter of time before that blue uniform, Brian Encinia’s ego, and racism joined forces. Sandra Bland was outnumbered that morning. If Bland had only known that refusing to put out her cigarette, even though smoking it in her own vehicle during a simple traffic stop would have led to her almost being dragged from her vehicle, threatened to be tased, false charges, an unlawful arrest, jail time, and three days of hurt and confusion; I’m sure before her death, Bland wished she had given in to Encinia’s delusions of grandiosity. And I bet Brian Encinia definitely hates the day he ran across the intelligent, consciously woke, strong, black lioness that was Sandra Bland.