What Readers Say About Rise
"As a parent advocate at a foster care agency in New York City, I do an orientation group for parents every month and I begin by asking everyone, ‘Why are we here?’
The parents often start by saying things like, ‘It’s not my fault…’ Then I pull out Rise. I tell the parents. This is something for you to read when you are home alone, when you think everything is not going to work out, and you need inspiration. This is all pain right here. You can identify.
“I ask the parents, ‘Do you want to read a story now?’ Nine times out of 10, we pick a story and read it together.
“Rise shows the parents that they are not along. They say, ‘Wow, the same thing happened to me.’ That starts the whole conversation. They open doors. They set the mood.”
—Kathy Mizell
Parent Advocate
St. Vincent’s Services for Children and Families
“Rise is a source of catharsis and inspiration for parents who are transforming their lives through community service and community organizing. Many parents relate that writing for Rise has given them the opportunity to confront and exorcise their demons, make peace with their past, or have their long-denied ‘day in court.’
“Writing for Rise has contributed to their healing process in the best and most unselfish way possible, because their experience touches thousands of other parents who, in turn, feel engaged, less alone, and more hopeful about their own value and potential.”
—Mike Arsham
Executive Director
Child Welfae Organizing Project
The articles in Rise Magazine issue #16 on Parenting with Mental Illness "give a face to the stories we hear, in a way that is not filtered through the Department of Child Protection (DCP). This humanizes the authors and I feel more empathy and this motivates me and gives me hope. And feeling greater empathy, hope, and motivation helps us to model to DCP."
"The stories help illustrate how impactful one's first contact with DCP is, and they also show some of the positive outcomes of contact with DCP - which is important because DCP doesn't usually hear the positive stories."
"The stories show DCP how it is perceived by the world."
"The writing in this issue (and all of the issues, to be frank) gives a name and story to the real people who are often hidden behind the mere diagnoses and the stigma, mystification, and sensationalism in the media. “
—NYC Children’s Services
Mental Health Consultants
“Rise magazine can be a useful educational and motivational tool for organizers. Rise’s issue on parents in prison contributed to the New York State Correctional Association’s successful campaign to amend New York’s Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA). The new ASFA Expanded Discretion Law, enacted in 2010, takes a meaningful step toward protecting the parental rights of incarcerated mothers and fathers and restoring fairness and humanity to our criminal justice system.
“We included Rise’s issue in many of the packets we gave to legislators to educate them on the issue. We also gave articles to members of the public to help educate them about the impact of ASFA on incarcerated parents and the experience of parenting from prison, and to motivate them to join our reform efforts. Through our campaign, it became clear that advocacy organizations working to change conditions for parents affected by the child welfare system have a strong ally in Rise.”
—Tamar Kraft-Stolar
Director, Women in Prison Project
Correctional Association of New York
“When I first joined the Rise writing workshop, I was a little resistant. I didn’t know how to start my story. The Rise editor, Nora, came weekly to tell us about writing and to encourage us to write. Once I was encouraged, I got my story out.
“Even though I had told my story many times in support groups, writing my story enabled me to think more about my experiences and it made me feel a sense of relief. My initial belief was that I had failed as a mother to my daughter. My daughter was sexually assaulted when she was a teenager, and it changed her life. When she had children, she was unable to care for them and I became the custodial parent to my daughter’s children.
“I didn’t know how to come to terms with what had happened to my child. It was always in the back of my mind that I had somehow failed to protect her. I carried that guilt all the time. But writing my story, I saw that, with my grandchildren, my daughter is the one who didn’t do the right thing. It wasn’t really my fault that her children went into foster care.”
—Bevanjae Kelley,
Rise Editorial Board Member
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