“We are thrilled to support the Sozosei Foundation on the latest season highlighting Aimee and Kamisha’s stories,” shares CEO and co-founder of Lemonada Media, Jessica Cordova Kramer. “Lemonada is grateful to the Sozosei Foundation for telling such a powerful and relevant story about the mental health pitfalls in the justice system.”
“As a Foundation dedicated to eliminating the inappropriate use of prison and jail for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, Kamisha and Aimee’s stories resonate deeply,” said Melissa Beck. “It is our hope that their lives will inspire listeners to imagine a world where mental illness, substance use, and poverty are no longer criminalized but instead are met with empathy and compassion.”
“People need to hear firsthand from those who have been lost inside our broken systems. There are so many others just like us who haven’t been lucky enough to survive,” said Aimee Wissman, one of the artists featured in the podcast.
Fellow artist Kamisha Thomas shared, “It’s an honor to serve those on similar journeys through our new nonprofit, The Returning Artists Guild, and advocate for the decriminalization of mental illness, substance use, and poverty. It’s time for a big change, and Call Declined is a step in the right direction.”
The first episode of Call Declined is available now, and weekly episodes will be published on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
For more information and to stay updated on the latest episodes and news, visit www.SozoseiFoundation.org or follow the Sozosei Foundation on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
(Show art: Square, 9:16, 16:9)
ABOUT THE SOZOSEI FOUNDATION
The Sozosei Foundation was established in 2019 as a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The name Sozosei means “creativity” in Japanese. Our Japanese heritage is manifest in our fundamental values and day-to-day operations. The primary focus of the Sozosei Foundation is to increase access to mental healthcare in order to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Learn more at the Sozosei Foundation.
For media inquiries, contact [email protected].
ABOUT LEMONADA MEDIA
Founded in 2019 by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Lemonada is an award-winning, independent, audio-first podcast network. In 2022 and 2023, both Cordova Kramer and Wittels Wachs were named among the ‘Top 50 Most Powerful People in Podcasting’ by Podcast News Daily and Inside Radio. The company is also the creator of the audio reality™ podcast genre and launched BEING Studios, where reality TV meets podcasting. Lemonada has created hit original series, including Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which spent 29 days straight at #1 overall on the Apple Podcast charts; Blind Plea, which launched to #1 overall on the Apple Podcast charts; Funny Cuz It’s True with Elyse Myers, which launched to #1 in comedy on the Apple Podcast charts; Gracie award-winners Last Day and Believe Her, Choice Words with Samantha Bee, as well as Webby award-winners In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt, Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack & SuChin Pak and BEING Trans.
ABOUT THE RETURNING ARTIST GUILD (RAG)
Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas formally co-founded the RAG in 2018 after their respective releases. They wanted to continue the therapeutic, creative community that they found “inside.” Both are multidisciplinary, social practice artists and single mothers who believe that their artistic talents and energy are best spent building a platform for artists like themselves and investing in a free future for everyone. The work that led to the RAG began inside Dayton Correctional Institution in 2015, when Aimee, Kamisha, and other artists developed an art therapy program and discovered the transformative power of the arts to heal and give voice to women who were locked in mental and emotional cages long before being incarcerated physically. Those years of art therapy built a strong foundation for the leadership, community building, peer-driven, and holistic approach of the RAG. The original guild members stem from that art therapy group, and membership has grown to include other artists who had served time in various institutions across Ohio, and nationally. Through RAG artists’ performances, artworks, and storytelling, these exhibitions and events have helped audiences gain a better understanding of the prison industrial complex, its direct impact on so many people, and the distinction between prison abolition and prison reform movements.
Media Contact
Karen Powell, Sozosei Foundation, 1 412-654-5851, [email protected], www.SozoseiFoundation.org
SOURCE Sozosei Foundation
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