Dear community,

We are writing to ask for your support on behalf of a longtime friend and colleague of the USC Dornsife Prison Education Project, Ernst Fenelon, Jr. Ernst is an author, public speaker, artist, and social justice advocate. During his 14 1/2-year incarceration, Ernst successfully fought for the civil rights and religious freedoms of other incarcerated people, and since his release 19 years ago, he has worked daily — in higher educational spaces, in community groups, in arts organizations, and in prisons — to build healthier, more supportive communities in which people give and receive the care we all need to thrive.

We are asking for your help to support Ernst during a time of crisis.

Since 2020, Ernst has been the primary caregiver for his elderly, mentally and physically disabled mother, Angee. (Angee is the subject of Ernst's choreographic work Angee's Journey, which traces her pathway to visit Ernst, every month, during his incarceration: three trains, two buses, two cabs, and twelve hours each way.) Angee's Section 8 housing was recently and wrongly terminated, leaving Ernst to cover the very expensive costs of housing for them while they appeal/file for a reinstatement of Section 8. The pressures of caring for Angee have increased significantly of late, and Ernst's recent separation/divorce has created additional financial and logistical hardships. As with so many other families in Southern California and across the country, Ernst and Angee have found the available social services and programs unable to meet their needs in a time of emergency. After losing their housing, they are currently paying for an expensive hotel room. We are asking for your help to keep this family sheltered, safe, and cared for. Any contribution helps. Thank you.