Ep5 - Joe’s Hour

The Steep Road to Freedom

This episode features an in-depth interview with Cleveland based artist and activist Joe Sharp. The ACLU of Ohio commissioned Joe to create an original art piece for our bail reform campaign’s mobilization nucleus--drawing audiences towards heart wrenching narratives of pretrial detention. Sharp quickly become an integral member of the campaign, traveling with the ACLU to speak in cities statewide, facilitating community conversations on the trauma of cash bail and the prison industrial complex. Joe has been featured as a special guest at the Cleveland ACLU100 celebration, community art panels, reentry events, and local radio stations. Joe began drawing and painting during 26 years behind bars in the Marion Correctional Institution, what he refers to as his time on the “plantation”. Growing up near one of the most heavily redlined areas of East Cleveland, poverty and mass incarceration were pervasive facets of his early life. Sponsored by: Towards Employment For more information, visit: Web: OHBailReform.com Twitter: @ACLUOhio Facebook: @ACLUOH Instagram: @ACLUOH