By Stella Hudson, LwC Storytelling Assistant
Stella Hudson is a junior in the University of Washington’s Law, Society, and Justice Department.
Before my 2025 summer internship with Living with Conviction, I’d had minimal exposure to the criminal justice system and had never before heard the term “LFOs.” My role was incremental, evolving from basic admin duties, to eventually transcribing and writing some of the stories that compose LwC’s founding mission.
While I became increasingly passionate about my work, it wasn’t until the first storyteller interview I listened to, a raw reflection of struggle and unyielding perseverance, that my worldview was fundamentally altered. Hearing a firsthand account of survival under conditions of perpetual punishment not only drew undeniable empathy, but solidified in my mind the cruel and wildly unjust nature of the American carceral system.
Although LwC’s collaboration with The Seattle Public Library was already meaningful to me as it was the brainchild of my summer internship, our event at the opening of the Green Lake photo exhibit was particularly impactful. Centered around incarcerated mothers, the event screened the film Apart, a documentary detailing the experience of incarceration-induced family separation. The event concluded with a panel discussion with members from LwC’s own legal empowerment team and Board of Directors.
While the film was moving on its own, hearing my fellow coworkers share their own experiences as formerly-incarcerated moms returned me to the moment I listened to my first storyteller interview. However, this time, I was not the only one who was deeply moved upon hearing the powerful words of those most marginalized by society.
When the panel concluded and the ask for further questions went out to the audience, everyone in the full house raised their hands, eagerly wanting to know more about LwC, and more prominently, how they could help. The energy across the room was agitated upon hearing anecdotes of such systemic atrocity, but simultaneously galvanized toward action – regardless of personal proximity to the issue at hand. One individual inquired about avenues for remedy through legislation, while another, outraged by the recounts of injustice, demanded to know how she could spread the word through outreach and education. Out of all the formative interactions I have had within my almost year of and alongside individuals with lived experience, this event is among those that has moved me most thus far.
By witnessing such fervor from an audience unfamiliar with the issues at hand, as I once was, I was able to not only observe the direct impact of Living with Conviction’s work, but also recognize the profound capacity of collective awareness to inspire tangible social engagement and advocacy. In that moment, it became clear to me that meaningful change does not emerge solely from policy or institutional reform, but from the willingness of individuals to listen, empathize, and mobilize in their own capacities as response to injustice. As I left the event feeling hopeful and invigorated, a final realization came to mind: unjust policies and the effects they have on people persist not because they are supported, but rather, because so few are ever exposed to its realities. ~SH