PHOTOGRAPHER BEN GARVIN WAS THERE TO CAPTURE WHAT HAPPENED.
>> HI, I'M MAURI.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
HELLO, SIR.
HELLO, SIR. [ APPLAUSE ] THANK YOU.
HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW WHERE LUCY
LANEY IS?
LANEY IS?
LANEY IS? >> WE ARE THE HEART OF THE
CITY.
CITY.
CITY. IT
CITY. IT REALLY STRUCK A HARD EMOTION
INSIDE OF ME.
AND IT MADE ME SIT IN MY CELL
AND THINK.
AND THINK. I HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF
THE SCHOOLS OVER THERE AND WE
NEVER HAD YOU.
>> DID YOU MISS ME?
>> I DIDN'T HAVE NOBODY
WELCOMING ME INTO THE SCHOOL OR
TELL ME THEY LOVE ME AND CARE
ABOUT ME.
ABOUT ME.
ABOUT ME. WHEN I SEEN THAT I'M LIKE SHE
IS NOT JUST HUGGING US LIKE WE
ARE SOME TYPE OF ZOO ANIMAL.
I FELT IT THROUGH THE MOVIE.
IT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN.
THESE BROTHERS CAN AGREE WITH
ME BUT I FELT IT THROUGH THE
MOVIE.
MOVIE.
MOVIE. >>
MOVIE. >> THANK YOU.
>> HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO INVEST
AND LOVE IN THE FACE OF SUCH
HEARTACHE AND PAIN WITHOUT
OVERWHELMING YOU?
OVERWHELMING YOU? >> IT IS BECAUSE I DON'T SEE
ANYTHING AS HOPELESS.
I DON'T EVER SEE ANY CHILD AS
HOPELESS.
HOPELESS.
HOPELESS. I DON'T SEE ANY OF YOU AS
HOPELESS.
HOPELESS.
HOPELESS. NOTHING IS HOPELESS TO ME.
>> THE PAIN, THE HURT, THE JOY,
THE GUILT, THE SHAME WILL
ALWAYS BE THERE BECAUSE WE ARE
HUMAN BEINGS.
HUMAN BEINGS. WHAT I GOT FROM THAT VIDEO IS
INSPIRATION.
INSPIRATION. I CAN'T WAIT TO COME HOME AND
CONTINUE THE WORK YOU ARE
DOING.
DOING.
DOING. THAT'S JUST ME.
I WAS INSPIRED.
>> IT IS KIND OF SAD BECAUSE I
NEVER RECOGNIZED THAT SCHOOL.
I USED TO RIDE UP AND DOWN GANG
BANGING AND I NEVER REALLY TOOK
INTO CONSIDERATION THAT THESE
ARE YOUNG CHILDREN THAT ARE
WALKING BACK AND FORTH TO SCHOOL
WHILE I AM CARRYING A GUN.
WATCHING THEM MOVE ME MADE ME
RECOGNIZE THERE SOMEONE IN THIS
BUILDING THAT CARED.
KIDS ARE HERE TRYING TO LEARN
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. THAT IS ALL I WANT TO SAY.
>> I APPRECIATE YOU.
SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO
SAY TO SOME OF MY KIDS
SOMETIMES.
SOMETIMES. TAKE A DEEP BREATH.
WHY ARE YOU CRYING?
WHAT COULD SOMEONE LIKE ME HAVE
DONE DIFFERENTLY OR MORE OF FOR
YOU?
YOU?
YOU? WHEN
YOU? WHEN YOU WERE IN SCHOOL?
>> I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHALLENGE
YOUR TEACHER TO MAYBE ONE TODAY
PICK A DIFFERENT STUDENT TO
FIND OUT ABOUT THAT STUDENT AS
A PERCENT.
A PERCENT. >> I LIKE THAT.
>> WHEN YOU HOLD THEM TO
EXPECTATIONS PEOPLE TRY TO LIVE
UP TO IT IF THEY KNOW YOU CARE.
>> I WANT TO SAY I DO KNOW
BETTER.
BETTER.
BETTER. I'M NOT MAD I'M IN PRISON RIGHT
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. I
NOW. I DID SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T
HAVE DID AND THIS IS MY
PUNISHMENT FOR IT.
THE EMOTIONS I HAD THEY WERE
PAIN BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT WE
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. IT
KNOW. IT IS PAIN, STRIFE, STRUGGLE.
THE ONLY WAY WE KNOW HOW TO
OVERCOME IS TO SURVIVE, NOT
THRIVE.
THRIVE.
THRIVE. WHAT DO I WISH MY TEACHERS
WOULD HAVE DONE?
I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE NURTURED
ME.
ME.
ME. WHEN
ME. WHEN YOU HAVE TEACHERS THAT
COME INTO THE SCHOOL THAT THINK
I AM JUST HERE TO GET A CHECK
AND YOU AIN'T GOING TO BE
NOTHING ANYWAY AND THAT IS ALL
THAT IS GOING TO COME OUT OF
THE SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY ARE
NOT SCHOOLS, THEY ARE
WAREHOUSES FOR THIS PLACE.
>> A LOT OF US HAVE LIFE
SENTENCES.
SENTENCES. SOME OF US MAY HAVE PAROLED BUT
YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO WALK
OUT OF HERE.
SO IF YOU HAVE MORE IN YOUR
HEART TO SPEAK ABOUT HOPE AND
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HOPELESSNESS.
HOPELESSNESS. >> THE ONE THING I KEPT
THINKING ABOUT COMING AND
TALKING TO YOU GUYS TODAY I
DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AT
WITH HOPE.
WITH HOPE. BUT I FELT REALLY STRONGLY THAT
I WAS SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU NOT
TO BE HOPELESS.
SO, I DON'T KNOW YOUR STORIES.
I DON'T KNOW YOUR FUTURE.
BUT I KNOW THAT I WAS SUPPOSED
TO TELL YOU DO NOT BE HOPELESS.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> WHY DID YOU GO TO STILLWATER
PRISON?
PRISON?
PRISON? >> THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT
THAT INVITATION THAT TOLD ME IT
WOULD BE PLEASING TO MY CREATOR.
>> WERE YOU SCARED?
>> I WASN'T AFRAID.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SLAIN IT.
I WASN'T AFRAID I JUST WAS
ANXIOUS.
ANXIOUS.
ANXIOUS. >> WHY?
>> WHY?
>> WHY? >> I DON'T KNOW.
I HAVE NEVER VISITED THE PRISON
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. I
BEFORE. I HAVE HAD LOVED ONES THAT HAVE
BEEN INCARCERATED AND THAT IS
SOMETHING I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO DO. MAYBE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE
WHAT I WOULD SEE IN THERE, FEEL
WHAT I WOULD FEEL.
>> WHAT ABOUT WHAT OTHERS MIGHT
FEEL ABOUT HER GOING TO THE
PRISON?
PRISON?
PRISON? AND HOLDING SPACE WITH SOME
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HURT OWL OTHER
PEOPLE?
PEOPLE?
PEOPLE? >> I DON'T TAKE ANYTHING AWAY
FROM THAT.
FROM THAT. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
DEALING WITH A LOT OF PAIN.
SO FOR ANYONE ELSE THAT IS NOT
ABLE TO SHOW LOVE BECAUSE OF
THEIR OWN PAIN, THEIR OWN
ANGER, DISAPPOINTMENT, OKAY.
I GOT YOU.
>> DID YOU MEAN IT WHEN YOU
LOOKED AT THEM AND SAID I DON'T
SEE YOU AS HOPELESS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT IS WHAT I TOLD THEM.
I DON'T KNOW WHY I WAS SUPPOSED
TO TELL YOU THIS BUT YOU ARE
NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HOPELESS.
>> I FEEL LIKE I HEARD YOU SAY
THAT TO LITTLE KIDS AT LUCY
LANEY.
LANEY.
LANEY. BUT THIS WASN'T LUCY LANEY.
THESE WERE NOT CHILDREN AND
MAURI SAID IN THE HOURS AFTER
SHE LEFT THAT PRISON AND SHARE
THOSE WORDS WITH THOSE INMATES,
SHE FOUND HERSELF QUIET.
>> I DON'T USUALLY STRUGGLE
WITH WORDS.
WITH WORDS. I AM SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE
FIGURED THAT OUT.
I AM NOT AT A LOSS FOR WORDS.
WITH THIS I WAS.
>> WHILE SHE STRUGGLED TO FIND
THEM, SOMEONE WAS ABLE TO.
>> I HAD A COLLEAGUE PULL ME
ASIDE AND SHE SAID WHAT IS IT?
I SAID I DON'T KNOW, I CAN
EXPLAIN IT.
EXPLAIN IT. SHE SAID WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT IT
IS.
IS.
IS. THEY
IS. THEY WATCH THAT MOVIE AND THEY
JUST WANTED TO SEE COULD YOU
LOOK AT THEM THE WAY YOU LOOKED
AT THOSE KIDS.
AND I WAS LIKE YEAH.
AND THEY SAW THAT.
THEY SAW THAT THE SECOND THEY
WALKED IN THE DOOR.
AND MAYBE THEY ABSOLUTELY
NEEDED TO SEE IF SOMEBODY LIKE
MYSELF THAT COULD GIVE PURE AND
UNADULTERATED LOVE TO CHILDREN
WHO ARE HURTING, COULD I GIVE
THAT FOR ADULTS AS WELL?
>> COULD YOU?
>> OH YEAH.