“Singing Through Prison Walls”

This video was really inspiring to watch. It was about a singer named Naima Shalhoub who went to the San Francisco County Jail to sing to incarcerated women. Her songs were powerful, and her voice was strong, but the reactions the women had was inspiring to me. Some women hummed along, some swayed, some cheered, some danced, and some cried. Every woman listening was moved in a different way. The women claimed that this was their freedom. One stated, “Thank you for being my hour of freedom every week.” While Naima sings, these women are able to listen and react however that may look like. These girls value their freedom and are truly blessed when they receive it, especially while Naima gives it to them. Their reaction to freedom made me double check mine and my own personal freedom. Every day I get to wake up and decide what to do and when to do it and I don’t even think about it. After seeing these women be so thankful for their one hour with Naima, it made me second guess my blessings. It made me realize how much freedom I really have in each day, and I am taking that for granted. This made me be thankful for the little things and the things I am not always thankful about, like my freedom throughout my day.