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Charisse Shumate Oakland, Cal.-Deep in the California prison system, a battered woman imprisoned for defending herself reached out and touched many lives. That woman was Charisse "Happy" Shumate, who died in prison on Aug. 4, 2001. While in prison, she helped in the organizing that the primarily HIV+
women waged against the the AIDS hysteria and for access to information and care. Although she was not HIV+, she accepted the burden of being a lead
plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections for their medical abuse and neglect of women prisoners. She While going through one sickle cell anemia crisis after another, she, together with Joann Walker and others, organized prisoners and created solidarity with those on the outside. Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, a non-profit organization, participated in the case. California Coalition for Women Prisoners, of which she was a founding member, became a unique organization of prisoners and women on the outside. She was also a columnist for THE FIRE INSIDE and her columns always spoke for and to many women inside and out. Out of her very concrete struggles, she articulated a universal sense of our humanity. She had something to say to everyone. She was a tireless fighter for the human rights of women in prison. To the prison system, she was a nemesis, a constant reminder that she held them accountable for the suffering they were causing through medical neglect, callousness or outright brutality. To other prisoners, she was and continues to be an inspiration. The world is a sadder place without her, but her legacy to us is to ensure that the fire will continue burning in all of us for a new humanity. -Urszula Wislanka |
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