Prisons Without Bars: How Our Thoughts Keep Us Locked Up
Khalil Osiris knows all about prison - he spent the first half of his life in one and was finally released when he was 40 years old. But he says anyone can be incarcerated in their own lives because imprisonment is much more about a state of mind than a time and place.
“It took me being in prison for me to find my freedom,” says Osiris, author of the book A Freedom That Comes From Within (www.khalilosiris.com). “When I finally understood that my thoughts and values were the source of my imprisonment, then I was free. With inner work and soul-searching, I learned that I could have faith in myself again.”
It was a long, hard road to get to that realization.
Osiris’ path to prison started when he was 17 years old and was arrested for armed robbery. He spent a few years in prison, was released and committed another robbery before he turned 21. He was sentenced to up to 75 years in prison. He did not know if he would ever get out.
“Prison was like gladiator training with each person reduced to full-on survival mode,” he says. He was stabbed by members of a white supremacist group, and while he was lying on the floor in blood, he heard one of the guards gleefully say Osiris would soon be dead.
“I realized it was not racism or injustice or a mistake that led me back to prison,” Osiris says. “Instead, it was the effect of my many choices. I was the one who had chosen this path.”
Osiris decided to change his life after he had a life-altering experience; he heard his son’s voice for the first time during a phone call in prison. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while incarcerated and became pen pals with Makaziwe Mandela, the oldest daughter of Nelson Mandela. The foreword of his book is written by Dumani Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela and a South African author.
After his release, Osiris dedicated the rest of his life to helping people stay out of jail, whether it’s a physical jail or the prison of misguided thinking. Osiris says these are the prisons that keep people from living their lives to the fullest:
A prison we construct by using our doubts, fears and limitations as prison bars.
The prison we reinforce every year by the lack of trust in ourselves and a lack of faith in the basic goodness and rightness of the source that created the universe.
The prison that deludes us into thinking nothing more is possible for us than that which we see right now in our own life.
A prison that robs us of our dreams, of our belief in possibilities, of the motivation and inspiration to recreate our life and change it for the better.
Osiris says it was only through his prison journey and subsequent transformation that he realized that anyone can incarcerate themselves by limiting their potential.
About Khalil Osiris
Khalil Osiris is an international speaker on restorative justice and transformational leadership and the author of A Freedom That Comes From Within (www.khalilosiris.com). An author, educator, entrepreneur and social activist, he transformed his life and emerged from prison with a deep understanding of how to use personal crisis, challenges and opportunities for self-improvement. He currently splits his time between South Africa and the United States, speaking in schools, prisons and corporations. He also conducts workshops focused on personal transformation and overcoming self-imposed limitations.
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Tyler Robinson Foundation gears up for 2019 following record year in support of families impacted by childhood
Imagine Dragons’ nonprofit organization looks to exciting 2019 partnering with National Pediatric Cancer Foundation to launch Pediatric Cancer Education Toolkit and new partner hospitals
LAS VEGAS (January 15, 2019) – 2019 is shaping up to be another strong year for the Tyler Robinson Foundation (TRF) and the organization’s battle against pediatric cancer.
As the organization starts the new year, TRF and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation are partnering up to launch the Pediatric Cancer Educational Toolkit that will be shared throughout their combined 63 North American partner hospitals. The toolkits will serve as a resource to parents whose children face a childhood cancer diagnosis. The 100-plus-page kit outlines types of diagnoses, inspirational stories of hope, terms used by caregivers and much more.
“A cancer diagnosis is anything but simple. The toolkit’s purpose is to arm parents of newly diagnosed children with important information and resources to support their cancer warrior,” says TRF Executive Director Kim Gradisher. “The goal is to help strengthen families’ cancer fight from the very beginning by ensuring they have easy access to resources and information and support navigating a very complicated disease.”
In addition to launching the Pediatric Cancer Educational Toolkit, the nonprofit organization of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Imagine Dragons, will broaden its reach to support even more families battling childhood cancer. Last year, TRF added nearly 10 partner hospitals to its network, expanding to more than 40 hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. In 2019, TRF will extend its network beyond North America with the addition of the organization’s first European partner hospital, Motol University Children’s Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic. The hospital, which is the second largest children’s hospital in Europe, boasts a renowned pediatric hematology and oncology department.
The launch of the Pediatric Cancer Educational Toolkit and announcement of new international partner hospital come on the heels of what was a record-breaking year for TRF in 2018, including raising more than $3 million to support the organization’s mission to provide grants for families to offset the many unseen costs associated with treatment. Throughout the year, the Foundation held multiple fundraising events in conjunction with its ambassador program, Team TRF members and corporate partners, including the launch of a limited-edition shoe in partnership with Zappos and designed by renowned artist Tim Cantor, toured six cities during its first-ever “TRF Operation Road Trip” and held the annual, star-studded “Rise Up Gala” in Las Vegas which raised more than $2 million in one night.
In addition to breaking a fundraising record, TRF grew the total number of families supported to more than 700 over the calendar year. This increase was made possible in large part to the rise in volunteers and partners to the organization. TRF implemented new volunteer opportunities throughout the year and experienced exceptional growth in its partner programs.
Team TRF added school partners Rundle Elementary, Scott Elementary, Staton Elementary and Johnston Middle Schools in Las Vegas and also re-engaged with Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah. Corner Canyon students raised more than $77,000 in just three weeks for the Foundation during a December giving drive. TRF’s leadership committees grew adding committees dedicated to Advocacy, Ambassadors, Family Cheer, Team TRF and a Creative Think-Tank. Growth and consistency also broadened with TRF’s Pen Pal program with nearly 1,000 pieces of mail delivered to TRF families from individuals, corporations and organizations.
In just five years, TRF has raised more than $7.5 million to support families battling childhood cancer by providing grants to offset the many unseen costs associated with treatment. More than 700 families have benefited from TRF support. The Foundation continues to grow its efforts for families through a number of awareness and fundraising initiatives.
Imagine Dragons launched TRF after meeting Tyler Robinson, an inspiring teen and fan of the band who battled a rare form of childhood cancer. TRF continues Tyler’s legacy and honors his courageous example by reaching out to uplift other children battling cancer and the families who support them. TRF’s mission is to support these families financially and emotionally by offsetting out-of-pocket life expenses as they cope with their child’s diagnosis.
For more information, visit TRF.org and follow TRF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Imagine Dragons
Formed in 2009 and featuring lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman, Imagine Dragons earned a grassroots following by independently releasing a series of EPs. After Alex Da Kid signed them to his KIDinaKORNER/Interscope label, the band made its major-label debut with the release of Continued Silence, a 2012 EP featuring the 2x platinum breakthrough single "It's Time." Night Visions arrived later that year and Imagine Dragons found themselves on a skyward trajectory that saw the album debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and became the No. 1 album on Spotify Worldwide for 2013. Night Visions has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. The album's second single, the 9x-platinum "Radioactive," hit No. 1 on the Billboard Rock chart and earned the band a 2014 Grammy for "Best Rock Performance." The third single, "Demons," hit No. 1 on Alternative and Top 40 radio, and has sold 3.9 million copies in the U.S. Imagine Dragons' platinum-selling second album, Smoke + Mirrors, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has sold 1.1 million copies worldwide. Imagine Dragons’ third studio album Evolve was certified double-platinum within a year of its June 2017 release. It earned the group back to back #1 singles with “Believer,” “Thunder,” and “Whatever It Takes.” “Thunder” also scored a Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nomination at the 2018 Grammy Awards, with Evolve nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.
About The Tyler Robinson Foundation
The Tyler Robinson Foundation (TRF) helps strengthen families financially and emotionally as they cope with the tragedy of a pediatric cancer diagnosis by providing grants specifically to offset out-of-pocket life expenses. TRF is the nonprofit organization of the Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum selling band Imagine Dragons. TRF meets a critical need in communities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Each year, one in 285 children are diagnosed with cancer. While many pediatric cancer organizations focus on growing awareness and support for families with the physical and emotional toll of a diagnosis, the huge financial hardship cancer treatment places on families is rarely discussed. More than 85-percent of every dollar TRF raises goes right to families in need. For more information visit TRF.org.
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With Martin Luther King Jr. Day around the corner and 58 percent of Americans saying increased diversity makes the U.S. a better place while only 9 percent say it makes the U.S. worse – the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019's States with the Most Racial Progress as well as accompanying videos.
To measure America’s progress in harmonizing racial groups, WalletHub measured the gaps between blacks and whites across 22 key indicators of equality and integration in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data set ranges from median annual income to standardized-test scores to voter turnout.
This report examines the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against blacks.
Most Racially Integrated States
States with the Most Racial Progress
1
New Mexico
1
Wyoming
2
West Virginia
2
Texas
3
Hawaii
3
New Mexico
4
Kentucky
4
Georgia
5
Texas
5
Mississippi
6
Wyoming
6
New Jersey
7
Delaware
7
South Carolina
8
Arizona
8
Florida
9
Maryland
9
Idaho
10
Georgia
10
North Carolina
Key Stats
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-and-least-racial-progress/18428/
