By In an interview with Book Club Chicago, Vic Mensa detailed the Book Before Bars program, which aims to provide prisoners with life-changing books. Mensa also mentioned his Books Before Bars program. high times In 2022.
the current, tens of thousands of prisoners Currently in jail on federal and state cannabis-related charges, this is one reason some cannabis brands and the leaders behind them are trying to change that.
Mensa is one of the rappers trying to make that happen. He explained that the story of Books Before Bars can be traced back almost a decade.Mensa presented a copy of Huey P. Newton’s autobiography revolutionary suicide1973, to an imprisoned friend.
The book explores how Black Panthers co-founder Newton, during his time in prison in the ’60s, “mastered his memory, essentially mentally surpassing prison walls.” It tells a story about
“I have seen that if the right book at the right time becomes the seed, watered and nurtured naturally, inner freedom can be nurtured within the walls of modern plantations,” Mensa said. Told. “I started [Books Before Bars] I joined a cannabis company because I wanted to offer freedom. ”
Data from the Illinois Department of Corrections show that in 2019, the department Hundreds of books were banned It also contains many topics about race and racism. Before a public backlash forces a policy change.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Illinois has the third-largest racial disparity in cannabis arrests. Blacks are 7.5 times more likely to be arrested than whites Despite consuming cannabis at similar rates.
Other books include: autobiography of gucci mane From the Atlanta, Georgia-based rapper Sister Outsider—A collection of Audrey Lord’s essays and poems. Mensa told Book Club Chicago that she buys a lot of her books from the book club. Semicolon, a bookstore run by a black woman Located in the Wicker Park area of Chicago.
Semicolon is set to close until August as it transitions to a non-profit model, but Mensa bought a ton of books before it closed.
The Books Before Bars program is an initiative funded through Mensa’s cannabis product line 93 Boys. Mensa said he launched 93 Boys to “work on prison reform and equity in the cannabis sector.” Books Before Bars is a big step towards that goal. “Cannabis has been used to take freedom from so many families,” Mensa said. “I felt it was essential to provide freedom in any way possible. Not having a social perspective within the larger framework of the cannabis business would be responsibly inconsistent with my values.” .”
A year ago, Mensa explained: high times How to launch a project at Books Before Bars, which was in its early stages at the time.
“The first project we launch […] With the release of our full portfolio of stocks, we are launching a project called Book Before Bars,” Mensa said. high times Published in the October 2022 issue. “We have sent over 1,000 books to prisons and detention centers in Illinois. This idea comes from my own experience of seeing how it is possible and has changed to a different world. You can get it.”
93 Boyz is Chicago’s first black-owned cannabis brand.Mensa co-founds brand with rapper Tokyo about a year ago. The brand sells eighths of flowers, pre-rolls, and vape pens, and you’ll find varieties like Jet Fuel, Gelonade, Gary Payton OG, Rainbow Belt, or The Roto.
