To my war angel, Kim Kardashian West—you are my gift from Heaven. You fought for me and never stopped fighting. Blessings to you and Kanye for your amazing support. Words can’t express my debt to you, but I will pray for you in gratitude for the rest of my life.
A special thanks to President Donald John Trump. Thank you for believing in me and giving me a second chance. You restored me to my family. I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to make you proud of your act of mercy. You won’t regret it.
Thank you, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. You joined in the fight for my freedom and your tenacity helped me gain the victory!
Thank you to my incredible attorneys whom Kim assembled—Shawn Holley, Jennifer Turner, Brittany Barnett, and Mike Scholl. Over the months that you joined forces to rescue me from prison, we developed a beautiful bond that will last forever. You are my own “Dream Team.”
Marcia Shein, thank you for taking me on as a pro bono client to fight for my clemency during Clemency Project 2014. Though that ultimately didn’t happen through that initiative, you helped begin the fight which ended in my walking out of those prison doors as a free woman.
Thank you to the Buried Alive Project. Your support upon my reentry was invaluable. The work you do is truly life-saving.
Thank you to Google and YouTube for using your technology to make a difference in my life and the world.
Thank you, Malika Saada Saar, for your advocacy and love. You’ve expanded my horizons by giving me many opportunities I’d never otherwise have.
Thank you to the ACLU—you were the first ones to give me a public platform with the article by Jennifer Turner, “A Living Death.” That piece opened the eyes of many Americans to our plight.
This list wouldn’t be complete without thanking the great people at MIC.com. Who could’ve predicted how viral that incredible video would go! Thanks especially to CEO Jake Horowitz, Kendall Ciesemier, Abu Zafar, Bruno Silva, and Stephen Valdivia for all of your work.
Thanks to Topeka Sam for seizing every opportunity to lift up my case. You have helped me and so many other women to hold on to our dignity while in prison.
Thank you, Amy Povah, for your “can do” attitude. I appreciate your tireless efforts to increase public awareness about my cause and for your encouragement to me in hard times.
Andrea James, I’m so thankful for your work and for the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.
Thanks also to Syrita Steib (“Pretty”), who fought for me. So proud of you.
Thanks to Nkechi Taifa for giving me platforms in and out of prison. I appreciate you for getting my children to the White House so they could fight for me.
Thanks, Mark Osler, for your support and for lifting up my name on national television for clemency.
Thank you, Van Jones and #cut50 staff for fighting so hard to change hearts and laws. You are making a difference.
Thanks to Mark Holden for putting me under your wing after I got out of prison. I’m so impressed by your dedication to fighting overcriminalization. You are on the front lines of making this world better for so many people.
Thank you, Evangelist Kene and Apostle Dr. Linda Holliday. You were with me in the early days and continued to fight for me to come home. You helped nurture me spiritually and gave me an invaluable ministry platform.
Thanks, Roach Brown, for broadcasting the first Clemency and Criminal Justice Radiothon. You got my voice out to the public in a big way.
Thanks, attorney Eddye Lane for what you did for me and for being a close family friend. You fought for me and helped in my time of need.
Thank you, attorney Danica Mathes, for the hard work you did in making sure I could navigate through the numerous rounds of paperwork necessary to make sound decisions.
To the staff at FCI Dublin, FMC Carswell, and FCI Aliceville, I appreciate so many kindnesses, and thank you for giving me opportunities to use my gifts in prison. A special thank-you to Warden Washington-Aducci and Mr. Aubrey Collins, who wrote letters on my behalf.
Thank you, prison chaplains, for my spiritual growth during tough times. You helped me find strength even in prison, which was a balm for my soul.
Thank you, TBN and Daystar, for your inspirational programming throughout the years.
Thank you, Edward Stanton III, former US Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. You took the time to listen to my family and wrote a letter in support of my clemency.
Thank you to the Olive Branch High School class of 1973 and Eastside Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High School.
I especially appreciate the teachers at Eastside High School, who helped instill in me a sense of pride in who I am.
Congressman Bennie Thompson, Steve Cohen, and Marc Veasey—thank you for the letters you wrote on my behalf for clemency (and to all of the others who did as well, even if they didn’t know me!).
Thank you, Jonathan Perri, for working so hard on my behalf, and all of the more than 270,000 of you who supported and signed my petition on Change.org.
Thank you to the NAACP, and especially to T. L. Plunkett, president of the DeSoto County Mississippi chapter, for your advocacy.
Thank you to former Deputy Sheriff Randy Wade for joining my family in fighting to bring me home.
A special thank-you to the all-women crew at Novus Select who filmed me for the United Nations: director Megan Sullivan; producer Thea Hardy; director of photography, VR, Jenn Duong; director of photography, traditional, Eve Cohen; drone operator and sound Danielle de Leon; and photographer Melissa Lyttle. You made work fun.
Thank you to Prison Fellowship for the seminars conducted while I was in prison. Thank you to the Potter’s House of Dallas, Texas, for the Bible Studies. Thanks, Pickens County Baptist Association, a fantastic community for me in Aliceville. All of these organization, along with other ministries that came into the prison, really lived up to the Biblical call: I was in prison and you visited me.
To the women I met in prison who shared the journey with me, thank you so much! All of you are tattooed on my heart.
Thank you to my family in the faith community for your many prayers and support. I know what prayer can do!
Thank you to ALL of the advocates and activists who have fought so long and hard for criminal justice reform. You are the unsung heroes of the movement. May your rewards be great in this life and the one to come. Amen.
I need to really thank the amazing folks who made this book happen. This includes the fabulous Mel Berger, David Hines, Lance Klein, and Elizabeth Wachtel. You are the absolute best.
I so appreciate the people at HarperCollins. Thanks to president and publisher Jonathan Burnham and senior vice president and publisher Doug Jones for giving me this opportunity. Lisa Sharkey, thank you for pursuing me and for believing in my story and in this book. I so enjoyed getting to know Matt Harper, whose edits helped me really convey my thoughts in a more compelling way. Thanks to Anna Montague for your help with all of the photos. Thanks to Maddie Pillari, to Robin Bilardello (who created a great cover), to Christine Choe (who helped with marketing), and to Rachel Elinsky and Tina Andreadis (for the publicity). What an honor to have my name on the cover of a book after all these years of writing stories, plays, and musicals while I was in prison. You made my dream come true.
I found in Nancy French the perfect match for this literary collaboration. Thank you, beautiful lady, for capturing my voice and working with me like a hand in a glove. We have experienced the miraculous over and over while working on this book. A true Divine Connection!
A big thank-you and a virtual hug to all of my close friends, especially Sharanda Jones. Your friendship and affection helped me make it through.
Mere words are not enough to express my deep appreciation for my family. You are very important to me.
I love all of my children: Tretessa, Catina, Charles, Bryant, and Cory (Coco).
Thanks to Tretessa, Catina, Charles, and Bryant for supporting one another and enduring more than two decades without me. Thank you for loving each other and staying together as family in the tragic aftermath of Cory’s death and in my absence.
To my grandchildren—Justin, Shelby, Kashea, Christopher, Amira, and Aiden—and great-grandchildren—D’Angelo and Alana. Grandma/GG is home NOW—to make wonderful and fun memories with you!
Thank you to my incredible siblings: Lena, Celestine, Coria, Thelma, Julius, Patricia, Ruby, and Dolores. Each of you are the best anyone could wish for. Also, thanks to my brothers-in-law, who enriched our family by loving my sisters: Thomas, Walter, Samuel, Jeffery, Vaughn, and Reginald.
Thank you to my wonderful nieces, nephews, cousins, and aunt, I will never forget your prayers, support, and how you showered me with love.
And most of all, I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has sustained me throughout my life. He alone is my HOPE.