The Life and Work of Kenneth E. Foster Jr
TDCJ #01451768
27 years of incarceration
With prayers of hope for redemption
My name is Kenneth Eugene Foster Jr. and I have been incarcerated in TDCJ for 26 years.
Convicted of being a getaway driver and sentenced to death for it. I’ve accepted my mistakes and never given up on life, or my purpose within it.
Incarcerated since August 15, 1996, I think my journey is worth noting.
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Sad to say, prisoners, facing long-term confinement readily give up. The reasons may be multi-facet, but it affects our entire society because prison is only a microcosm to the macrocosm.
It’s a special breed of person who digs within, decided not to give up, and decides to better their lives and the people around them.
I have been one of those people.
The following portfolio is just a glimpse into my life and plight. There’s no way that I can sum up 26 years of efforts, however, I hope to impress upon you that:
- People can own up to their errors
- People can change themselves and the things they do
- People who have become incarcerated can earn a second chance in society
- People on the inside can still have a great impact on our society
I am one of those people and I feel my actions speak for themselves.
The following is a small glimpse at some of my work and my visions for the future.
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One of my proudest achievements is my accomplishment of getting my paralegal degree.
The paralegal degree program was not offered by TDCJ; however, I gathered the resources to take this two-year course and I passed with flying colors.
One of my dreams is to get out of prison and do legal work for those who lack the money and support to gain legal assistance. I plan to start legal organizations (profit and non-profit) to carry out this work (eg: in the vision of the work of Bryan Stevenson of EJI)
Who better to do it than someone who has studied the system for 27 years? After all, my life depended on my knowledge of the law and the science of activism.
I have worked with political groups such as:
*Campaign to End the Death Penalty (Austin Branch)
*National Lawyers Guild (New York Branch)
*Prison Justice League (Austin Branch)
*Human Rights Coalition (Formerly of Pennsylvania)
*Pink Peacock Project and Tripe P Radio (of Illinois)
My family has spoken at the legislatures for the past 12 years after the first law of parties’ bill was filed (HB2267 by State Rep Terri Hodge) and was named after me, “The Kenneth Foster Jr. Bill.” (see: saving Kenneth Foster: speaking with others in the belly of the beast. Communication Activism Vol 3)
So, I am firmly experienced in lobbying and activism. It has become my life and it will be my career for the rest of my life.
I am a man who, by default, became an activist, but embraced it and has expanded upon it. Only imagine what I could do if I was out of prison and surrounded by all the aforementioned resources.
I have dedicated myself to being a writer. My fields and genres vary from poetry and politics to social ills and the spiritual.
I have written essays like: “Revisiting Revival: A Comparison of the Irish and African-American Plights to Reclaim Culture and Identity,” which discusses the importance of language to a culture.
I have also written dissertations like “Shock Doctrine in Texas,” which have been published and posted across the world. This essay documents extensively the conditions the prisoner faces in solitary confinement.
My refusal to walk to my scheduled execution has been put into a mini documentary called: A Lonestar Statement” by Scott Calonico.
I have poetry collaborations with author/activist, Jen Marlowe in “I Am” and “Dear Marina,” which is about the case of Troy Davis from Georgia. I was also very thankful to be in the April 2017 Human Rights Clinic (of U.T. Austin) study “Designed to break you.”
My proudest accomplishment is my first published book, “A Voice From the Killing Machine,” which shares poems, essays, and testimonials of my 10 years on death row.
To date, I have written over 145 essays and have over 600 poems
This does not count all of the writings that I have posted on the web, performed in classes, prison events, nor ghost writings for other inmates or activists.
I see writing as a tool. It’s a gift. I hope to make it my career when I return to society. It’s a skill to be exercised. It has been my therapy and I hope to make it my career when I’m set free.
The following are certificates that I have acquired while on the inside, marking my many accomplishments. I have completed almost every class that TDCJ offers offenders serving Life.
↑ Mentoring the youth at the “Day with God/Dad” event on McConnell Unit ↑
In most of my classes, I was a standout. I was always the first to speak and the last to leave. Many people have forgotten that when I was first incarcerated, I was a college student. I was not a full-time thug. I was a sociable person. I wanted to fit in and that led me to being influenced by peer pressure.
The fact that I was majoring in Sociology and taking 15 hours my first semester in college shows that I love education. When I came to prison it was that thirst that led me to take all these classes. I did it because I had a desire to.
The only reason that I did not finish getting a college degree in college was money. I could not afford the tuition, nor did I qualify for the grants. So, I self-educated myself.
My accomplishments, my writings, and my involvement with social and political groups show my sincerity, me dedication, and my vision for a future outside of prison.
In closing, while people advocate for me, I advocate for myself. My motto has always been, “If you aren’t your number one supporter, then why should anyone else be?”
In 2018, I debuted in a Netflix film entitled, “I Am a Killer: Killer in the Eyes of the Law- Season 1 Episode 2.”
I participated in this film to expose how an unconstitutional statue like the law of partied allows a person to be sentenced to death row life even though they never killed, nor intended for a life to be taken. In the film, I was brutally honest about the night of the crime, my errors in life, and my regrets. I also shared my desire to build bridges of reconciliation and redemption.
Without a doubt, many have different opinions, but it doesn’t keep a man from wanting to do better for himself or his community.
In the face of the film, many changes have begun to take place in America.
*California passed a bill (SB1437) saying it would no longer convict a person of felony murder if they did not kill or if it wasn’t an extreme circumstance. A possible 800-2,000 prisoners (with cases like mine) are being released after 15, 20, 25 years of incarceration.
*Pennsylvania has submitted two bills (SB942 and HB135 introduced by Senator Sharif Street and Representative Jason Dawkins) to the legislators to give second chances to deserving lifers.
It’s time for Texas to do the same. My daily work is geared toward this. I hope to be the spearheading factor in this effort. After 26 years, it’s time. It’s well-earned and deserved.
I extend this packet to you as a testament of a man who has done something positive with 27 years of incarceration. I am sure that I will have ample opportunities if I am allowed to return to society- not only because people will surround me with support, but because I work for it. In the face of death row, solitary confinement, losing family members, abandonment, and ridicule, I still seek to do everything that I cited in this packet.
Going to prison doesn’t mean that you aren’t human, aren’t redeemable. It means that you made a mistake. It’s only up to that person if that mistake becomes a stumbling block or a steppingstone. I think we all can CLEARLY see what I decided my mistake would be.
So, stand with me when I say: GIVE ME A SECOND CHANCE IN SOCIETY.
THANK YOU
In the vision of California’s SB1437 to reform the Felony Murder Rule (Law of Parties), and give deserving lifers a second chance like Pennsylvania’s SB and HB.