“I will never again receive a postcard from Sandy with a corny pun scribbled in her shaky handwriting on the back. I will never receive a picture of Faye's daughters graduating from high school. I will never receive another newspaper article from Jack. I will never hold another letter written by a loved one and lose myself in nostalgic memories spawned by the way the paper smells and feels. I may never hear from my friends and family again.”

Below is a letter from a concerned parent of an incarcerated person at the NCDOC’s Harnett Correctional Center amid COVID.

Organizers of the Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice received a call from someone incarcerated at the Greene County Correctional Center about the unsafe conditions they are experiencing.

“This has been a very frustrating experience of not being able to see my family.”

“NC and it’s justice and penal system aren’t working for more reasons than I currently have enough time to explain.”

“She is my best friend and I am her only child and I cannot be there with her through this pandemic.”

“Scared for my health and fearful to die in prison.”

“If the information is correct, that 85% of the population is asymptomatic. I'm not stressing.”

“We can’t do nothing. No activities to get your mind away from it.”

“I saw clearly I had to take my healthcare in my hands as best I could.”

“It is awful to be in prison and know that if one person gets it then you and everyone will be ill and possibly die.”

“Enclosed are the answers to the questions and I hope that they will release us some way.”

“They kept the stamps.”

“As a young boy I had dreams.”

“My contact with my family has physically been cut off.”

“Social distance is non-existent in prison life.“

“My experience from covid-19 and the pandemic is the restriction from having visits and seeing loved ones.”

“Is being 52 year old an underlying health issue. Will turn my 70 - 93 month sentence, which I have completed 30 months of it, into a death sentence.”

“I've been locked down with several women who were very sick with Covid-19.”

“It's scary. I'm worried about my family... And I'm scared of catching Covid while I'm in prison because we are more likely not to get proper medical care.”