We were lucky to catch up with Tyra Patterson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tyra, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Being a fighter and an overcomer was never a conscious decision that I made. I had no concept of resilience. I had to believe that the next day would be better than the last. It was a matter of survival. Experiencing chronic homelessness and dropping out of elementary school were terrible things for a young girl to experience and they had lasting and devastating implications for what was to come later in my life.
Receiving a life sentence as a teenager for something I didn’t do and spending almost half of my life in prison made me stronger than my wildest imagination and prepared me for an even more formidable fight when I came home.
With everything that happens to me, I have to decide how I will be defined and I’ve come to understand that through difficult times and adversity, I become better. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t wish to be a glutton for punishment. Lived experience is the best education.
There is no stronger foundation to build upon than rock bottom. I’ve always found scars to be beautiful. Scars tell stories and they are proof that we are more than bad things that happen to us. People walk around every day with scars that aren’t necessarily visible to the naked eye. It is my aspiration that others find hope in my story and my scars.
Struggle does not define me. I’ve been through the fire multiple times but I don’t smell like ashes.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Some of the most amazing, kind and talented women in this country are sitting behind prison walls and I’m determined to leverage my privilege and platform to give them space to tell their story. While there are more men than women who have been directly impacted by incarceration, that rate for women is outpacing those of men. There are reasons for that and they need to be addressed.
Everyone acknowledges the injustice of mass incarceration but the sense of urgency to eradicate the problem isn’t shared. Racism, sexism and lack of proximity are the largest threats to eliminating this injustice. My work as the Community Outreach Strategist with the Ohio Justice & Policy Center affords me the opportunity to team up with other like-minded legal professionals to create and advocate for policy changes. Just because you have been convicted of a crime, it shouldn’t be open season on your rights.
Art not only fed my soul while I was incarcerated, but it also helped me to find my voice. In addition to creating my own art, I curate shows and exhibits that are inclusive of artists who are currently living in carceral institutions around the country. I believe humanity can’t wait for freedom. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for art organizations and education institutions around the country to advocate for true inclusivity of artists and creatives, regardless of their backgrounds.
Soon, I am will be releasing a docuseries about my story called “I Am Tyra”. Production had previously wrapped up but when I was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, my producer and I decided to capture that part of my journey for viewers as well.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the things I had to learn quickly was to give myself grace. From the time we are born, it is ingrained in us to forgive others and be kind to others. While those things are definitely true, we are not taught that we have to include ourselves when giving out grace and kindness.
I was always down on myself for what I didn’t know and what I hadn’t accomplished. I had to realize that I could acknowledge my growth opportunities for myself without being defined by those things.
Mentorship changed my life. When I was in prison, I was called a “Lifer” due to the length of my sentence. When ladies, particularly younger ones, would arrive at the prison, I tried to welcome them and help them adjust to prison life for however long they would be there. I run into women fairly regularly now who are home and thank me for what I did for them in prison. I didn’t consider it mentorship. I thought of it as being kind.
However, when I left prison, society had changed immensely since I left 23 years prior. It was mentors who took my hand and showed me everything from how cell phones worked to how to sign a lease to how to get power turned on in my apartment. Many of the things most people take for granted.
It was mentors who taught me how to open a bank account and get the best interest rate for my credit card or how to seek funding for projects. Being a mentor and mentoring others is life-changing
Humility begins with being honest with yourself and not being pretentious. I always keep an open mind and a learner’s mindset. Listening is better than talking any day. I will never get to a point where I am not coachable and don’t believe anyone can teach me anything. Please and thank you for the most important words in my life. I’ve learned that manners and kindness will take you places that education cannot.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There isn’t one particular book but there are writers who have been incredibly influential to me, specifically Zora Neale Hurston and Audre Lorde.
Zora Neale Hurston because her writing style was rich and true to who she was. She didn’t succumb to what others wanted from her. Writers of her era called her unintelligent and that her words were too vivid. She was bold and determined. Today her work is lauded. The point is, Be you. The world will catch up.
Audre Lorde…a Black lesbian who fought injustice and named it, whether it was racism, misogyny, homophobia or classism. By embracing who she was, she gave so many others permission to do the same.
Both of these ladies made their work accessible. Both of them could’ve written in much loftier language. But they chose to speak the language of everyone. They made it plain. I went to prison not being able to read or write and that’s why accessible language matters to me so much.
If you haven’t already discovered their work for yourself, I encourage you to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: IAmTyraFilm.com
- Instagram: @tyra.imani.777
- Facebook: Tyra Patterson
- Linkedin: Tyra Patterson
- Youtube: Time Saved Vs. Time Served
