Historical Echoes of Activism in the Prison Industrial Complex

Ten years ago today, Kalief Browder died by suicide, on June 6, 2015, after spending three years at New York’s Rikers Island jail without trial, much of that time in solitary confinement and brutal conditions — after he was accused at the age of 16 of stealing a backpack. We speak with his brother and the director of a new film that aims to remember Kalief and his mother Venida and explores the impact of the trauma they faced and how his family responded. Sisa Bueno is the director of For Venida, For Kalief, which is premiering this weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival. It features the poetry of Kalief’s late mother, archival footage from the 1970 uprising in New York City jails, and interviews about the ongoing push to shut down Rikers Island jail. Akeem Browder is the older brother of Kalief Browder and a founder of the Campaign to Shut Down Rikers.