Photo Section

My mother, Sallie Mae Boggan, was a woman before her time. She was a fantastic cook, a civil rights advocate, a woman of God, and my hero.

My father, Raymond Boggan, worked hard to provide for his family. He was a praying man who loved his wife and children.

My siblings and I survived the 1970s, but the tumult of the era shaped the direction of my life for years to come.

By the time I was sixteen, I was already a mother and a wife. This photo shows me with my firstborn daughter, Tretessa; my siblings; and my niece and nephew.

My 1973 yearbook photo from Olive Branch High School. I was educated at East Side High School until integration occurred in 1970, and while integration was important, my education at East Side was fantastic! We had great black teachers, a talented black band, and we had some great achievers who came out of our little school.

Cory, aka Coco, was a good son who always wanted to quietly do what was right. I was proud to learn that he had gotten baptized before his tragic death.

My oldest sister, Lena (deceased), and her firstborn, Jeannette. Mama assigned Lena to help dress me for church. She had her work cut out for her because I never sat still to get my hair combed!

My children loved celebrating birthdays. Especially eating the ice cream and cake!

Here we are celebrating Tretessa’s graduation. I’m so proud of her academic and occupational accomplishments.

My sister Celestine died while I was in prison. Even though we were fourteen years apart, I felt like I could tell her anything.

I always enjoy spending evenings with my family.

I love this photo, because it shows us laughing at an NFL party celebrating my nephew signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only does it show the joy of the moment, but it also shows my “secret” gold tooth–one that the prison would later take from me.

My parents celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary with their children. Their marriage was always an inspiration for me, a solid basis for our tight-knit family.

My sister Thelma and I pose for a photo in prison at Dublin, located in California. Though the walls did have razor wire, FCI Dublin had more green spaces and flowers than I expected.

My sisters and I have always been super close. This photo pictures Dolores, Thelma, Coria, me, Patricia, and Ruby during a sisters-only prison visit.

In prison, a strong faith helped me survive through the hard times. I was a part of the Jubilee Praise Dancers at Carswell, pictured here in 1999.

My daughter Tretessa was able to visit me more frequently than the rest of my family members, because the distance to the first two prisons was very great. This photo shows a visit she made to Carswell in 1999.

In 2004, I enjoyed a meaningful visit from my children. From left to right: Bryant, Catina, me, Tretessa, and Charles.

I always tried to make holidays special in the prisons, since the women sometimes got sad that they couldn’t celebrate with their loved ones. I put on uplifting holiday-related programs and decorated the chapel to make them feel like they weren’t in prison at all. This photo shows me celebrating Christmas at Carswell.

My grandchildren visiting me for the first time in prison. Left to right: Justin, me, Shelby, and Kashea.

Two of my sisters and my brother visited me at Carswell. I appreciated all the effort they went to in order to put a smile on my face.

One friend I had at Carswell was Sharanda Jones (left). We gravitated toward each other because we were both first-time, nonviolent offenders who had life sentences—and we both loved to laugh. She had been at the prison for a while before we got close. Eventually, she was granted clemency by President Obama.

A creative group who participated in the plays I wrote in prison! Left to right: Cristie, Stacey, me, and Takisha.

I was always ready for Christmas. This photo shows me with my dear friend Chanel Jones. She and I used to walk around the exercise track every day to stay in shape.

In 2014, my friends and I had fun pretending that I’d just gotten clemency. But I was left behind. Left to right: Fifty (really named Barbara Turner), me, Paula, and Patty.

I desperately missed Tretessa, Catina, and my granddaughters, Shelby and Kashea, so I appreciated them visiting me in prison. When this photo was taken, I had already been denied clemency twice.

Prison restrictions for visitation were sometimes hard to understand and follow. This photo shows my nephew JT, Patricia, and Jasmine visiting in Aliceville. I remember that JT had to go buy new clothes at Fred’s, because the khakis he’d worn weren’t allowed for some reason.

This photo shows me and my friend Fifty. Fifty was also a lifer, like me, and a very gifted artist. We worked on every play and project together at Aliceville.

Dolores and my brother-in-law Reginald visited me in Aliceville. Being closer to my family was a dream come true.

I was proud of the fact that I graduated from Electrical while I was at Aliceville. I always believed in bettering myself, even though the government told me I never had chance at living as a free woman.

Rubies for Life is a Christian, faith-based program offered while I was at Aliceville. This photo shows my graduation ceremony.

Warden Washington-Aducci and life coach Sandy Lewis presented me with the Rubies for Life diploma.

I loved writing and performing skits in prison. This photo shows me acting in a skit I wrote called Bullying, It’s Just Not Fun, at a children’s event in Aliceville.

My daughters, Tretessa and Catina, fought for my return at the White House in 2016.

Here I am talking at a #Cut50 event via video while I was in prison.

This photo shows Patricia, Dolores, and Thelma in Washington, DC, in front of the Department of Justice in 2016.

This photo shows Catina and me just moments after I walked out of prison. I’ll never forget that feeling of true elation.

My reunion with my grandson after twenty-one years. The last time I saw my oldest grandson, he was only eighteen months old.

On the day of my release, I greeted Kendall Ciesemier—the MIC reporter who interviewed me for the video that Kim Kardashian West came across in her Twitter feed.

This photo shows the attorneys Kim Kardashian West assembled to help save my life. From left to right: Jennifer Turner, Brittany Barnett, Shawn Holley, Mike Schooll, and Jake Horowitz with MIC. I will always appreciate their hard work and dedication.

The first time I was able to hold my grandtwins, Amira and Aiden, was a powerfully emotional moment. Up until this point, I’d only seen them on video chat.

Bryant, Shontoria, Catina, Xavier, me, Charles, Christopher, and Tretessa celebrate the Fourth of July. My first holiday at home—I was feeling very patriotic on this day!

This photo shows my children and two sisters arriving at Google. My son Charles, second on the right, is now a firefighter—ironically, he set my hair on fire as a toddler!

Me with some of the advocates who helped fight for my freedom. Left to right: Topeka Sam, Brittany Barnett, me, Jennifer Turner, Amy Povah, and Nkechi Taifa.

This photo shows me at a Prison Fellowship event honoring Mark Holden, Koch’s lead attorney who helms a coalition to fight the tragic results of overcriminalization.

Onstage at a Google fireside chat about criminal justice reform with Kim Kardashian West and Malika Saar.

After I bragged about my Southern cooking to Kim, she asked me to cook with her during a visit to California. I showed Kim how to make biscuits from scratch, the easy way. We also made beef and gravy, fried chicken, cream potatoes, baked macaroni, collard greens, and much more. I got to meet Kanye and eat with both of them, as well as Kim’s sisters, her mother, and her children. Even some of her extended family members—nieces and nephews—came to meet me.

This photo shows me, Kim Kardashian West, Van Jones, and Louis Reed in Los Angeles, on November 14, 2018—the day that President Donald Trump announced he was endorsing the First Step Act.

On the day of the State of the Union Address, I went to the White House for the first time. This photograph was taken in the Oval Office with me, President Trump, Patricia, and Dolores.

Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead