KFTC Blog

Interviewing Former Felons and Telling Their Stories

Posted by: Dave Newton on March 18, 2013

Interviewing former felons and communicating out their stories is critical to the strategy of our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

It’s a way of challenging what people think they know about who former felons are and showing them a range of people at least some of whom they feel like they can relate to - different ages, races, backgrounds, and hometowns.

If someone can see a piece of themselves or their family and neighbors in a former felon’s story, or respect or look up to their accomplishments, that connection can make it easier to understand the issue and support restoration of voting rights.

Here are some examples of interviews we've conducted in the past.

We use these stories in a lot of different ways - stories on our blog, shared through Facebook, in our newsletter balancing the scales, in large signs and on factsheets, or full stories sent to the media or to legislators.

If you're a former felon interested in being interviewed about the right to vote, or if you know someone who might be, please contact your local KFTC organizer or Dave Newton [email protected] 859-420-8919.

Jefferson County Chapter meeting reportback

Posted by: Emily Nordling on March 14, 2013

This Monday marked the Jefferson County chapter’s first meeting to include the new facilitation style agreed upon by our (also new) Chapter Development Work Team. We’re off to a great start! We began by introducing ourselves, laying out ground rules – such as “step forward, step back” – reading our mission statement, and reviewing our agenda.

Shelby County Chapter Meeting Next Week

Posted by: Lisa Aug on March 14, 2013

If you live in or near Shelby County, consider coming out and joining us at the next Shelby County KFTC meeting. The chapter is in its first year as an offical KFTC chapter and would love to meet more people in the area! The Shelby chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth will hold its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 21 at the Stratton Center, 215 Washington St. We will discuss our upcoming Trivia Night fundraising on March 22, our experiences lobbying the General Assembly, and our campaigns to reform Shelby Energy and establish a Fairness Ordinance. Everyone is welcome.

4th Annual Growing Appalachia

Posted by: Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on March 12, 2013

The fourth annual Growing Appalachia conference, an event hosted by the Floyd County chapter of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, was a great success. Nearly 120 people turned out on March 9, 2013 for the day of workshops about ways to earn and save money through small-scale agriculture, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Many who attended learned about the event through local media and publicity. Evaluations of the day expressed hope, enthusiasm, and gratitude about the day.

“Twelve months ago, if I heard the name ‘KFTC’ I’d probably move fast in the other direction,” said one participant. “But I’m amazed to learn more about the organization and all the different work you are doing.”

We're looking for members to participate in an art and activism workshop

Posted by: Lisa Abbott on March 12, 2013

KFTC has been invited to nominate a set of staff and members to participate in a workshop in late April about using art and culture to advance social change. Anyone who is interested in being part of KFTC’s delegation to this event should contact [email protected] by March 19th.

Expand Voting Rights, Protect Civil Rights

Posted by: KFTC on March 10, 2013

With just four working days left for the Kentucky General Assembly, our actions may influence the important final outcome for two bills.

Voting Rights

Our democracy could be strengthened if Senate leaders would allow House Bill 70 to have a hearing and vote. This legislation would place on the statewide ballot a constitutional amendment to allow automatic restoration of voting rights once a person has completed their sentence for most felony convictions, as happens in most other states. HB 70 passed the House, 75-25, nearly three weeks ago but is stuck in the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Help us make one more push to get Senate leaders to open the door to voting for nearly a quarter of a million Kentuckians.

ACTION: Please call the Legislative Message Line, 1-800-372-7181, and leave a message for your own senator plus "Senate leadership" and "Senate State and Local Government Committee members." A good, simple message is "Please allow a hearing and vote on House Bill 70." The line is open 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. EDT. If you have already contacted your senator on this issue, please do so again.

Civil Rights

Helpful information

You can follow KFTC's bills on our bill tracker page.

Legislative Message Line
1-800-372-7181

Legislator's Office Direct
502-564-8100

TTY Message Line
1-800-896-0305

En Español
1-866-840-6574

Make a donation to KFTC to support our work in the General Assembly

A bill that allows any individual to “act or refuse to act on religious grounds” has passed the House and Senate and been to delivered to Gov. Steve Beshear. House Bill 279 is written so broadly that it could be used to subvert existing civil rights laws in Kentucky that protect individuals from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

HB 279 has the potential to “make it harder to pursue criminal prosecutions and civil remedies in everything from child abuse to housing discrimination,” according to a Lexington Herald-Leader editorial, and is “a slippery slope when the state authorizes people to disregard laws,” wrote The Courier-Journal editors.

ACTION: Join the Fairness Campaign, ACLU, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, KFTC and other groups in asking Gov. Beshear to “Please veto House Bill 279.” You can do so by leaving him a message at 502-564-2611 or by using his online form at: http://governor.ky.gov/Pages/contact.aspx.

Thanks for taking one or both of these actions.
Please do so on Monday starting at 7 a.m.

Organizing for Fairness at Georgetown College

Posted by: Jamie McClard, Christian Nunez, and Homer White on March 8, 2013

The Scott County Chapter recently has acted in support of a new group at Georgetown College that seeks to persuade the College to expand non-discrimination protections to include such things as sexual orientation.

Georgetown College is a historically Baptist institution that traces its roots back to 1787, claiming as one its forebears Elijah Craig, the Kentucky Baptist preacher and Bourbon maker. Long a stronghold moderate Baptist thinking, the College adopted a formal policy prohibiting discrimination against gay students in 2008, College officials shy away from public acknowledgment of these policies. The College refused to formally sponsor a gay/student group until 2011, when gay students on campus boldly came out in the College newspaper and made the campus aware of the bullying and harassment to which they were at times subjected. Even then, the College insisted that the name of the group (Campus Spectrum) should not directly suggest anything about its mission, which is to welcome and support all students, regardless of sexual orientation.

Growing Appalachia On WMMT

Posted by: Kristi Kendall on March 7, 2013

On Monday, members of the Growing Appalachia planning committee appeared on WMMT's Mountain Talk- a weekly program that covers a wide range of topics pertaining to life in the mountains. Knott County member Fern Nafziger and Rowan County member Cody Montgomery appeared as in-studio guests on the show hosted by Sylvia Ryerson and Mimi Pickering. The show also featured call-in guests Paul Wiedeger of Au Naturel Farms and Will Bowling from Old Homeplace Farm both of which are presenters at Growing Appalachia this Saturday. The guests gave listeners a preview of the workshops they can attend on Saturday and had a great discussion about local food systems, season extension, foraging and more. You can listen to the podcast by visiting WMMT's website.

Growing Appalachia is an event sponsored by the Floyd County chapter and offers a day of free workshops around do-it-yourself energy efficiency, small-scale farming, beginning organic gardening and food preservation. Join us this Saturday, March 9th at the Jenny Wiley Convention Center in Prestonsburg. Lunch will be offered and is locally sourced. You can register for Growing Appalachia by going to kftc.org/growing. You can also join the conversation on Facebook. You don't want to miss this!

2nd annual Potluck on Pine Mountain builds unity

Posted by: Tanya Turner on March 7, 2013

On a rainy Tuesday night this week, the Letcher and Harlan County Chapters came together for the 2nd annual Potluck on Pine Mountain. Last year’s gathering was on the Letcher County side of Highway 119 in Eolia and included local music, soup beans, corn bread, and sides and desserts from all over both counties. This year the gathering was held in the Cumberland Library, on the Harlan County side of the mountain. Over 30 people made it through the wet and cold for world-famous Lynch BBQ, live fiddling, cobbler with Cumberland-grown black berries, and dozens of other delicious dishes. We were even excited to host city council members from communities in both counties!

Rally for voting rights in Frankfort today

Posted by: Amy Hogg on March 6, 2013

Despite snowy weather, about 260 people raised their voices for voting rights at a rally and lobby day Wednesday at the state capitol in Frankfort.

Several former felons took the podium to share their stories and urge passage of House Bill 70, which would restore voting rights to most former felons once they’ve served their debt to society. Kentucky is one of the most restrictive states, requiring former felons to obtain an individual pardon from the governor in order to regain their right to vote.

Aileen Bryant of Louisville recalled that at one time she was told she’d never amount to anything. “Today I am somebody,” she said. She urged those gathered to talk to their legislators about House Bill 70. “We need to let them know we deserve that right. Don’t give up.”

Michael Hiser of Bullitt County said he has obtained his bachelor’s degree and is working on a master’s degree since serving his time. He has regained custody of his children and paid $15,000 in back taxes. But he still can’t vote.

Ed West, another former felon, said it feels good to be a citizen again, even paying taxes. “It feels good to be responsible and be able to pay a debt.” But gaining voting rights for former felons will take a powerful movement. “We need to continue to voice such powerful voices.”

KFTC member Tayna Fogle, who emceed the rally, said she wants to set an example for her two children and seven grandchildren. “I want them to be able to believe in this democracy.”

For each of the past several years, including this year, the bill has passed the Kentucky House by a comfortable margin before stalling in the Senate. Today citizen lobbyists focused on talking with senators and urging them to support the bill.