About Us
Since 2007, Hearts on a Wire has been building a movement to address the policing and imprisonment of our trans and gender variant communities across Pennsylvania.
Hearts on a Wire is connected to transgender and gender variant (T/GV) people incarcerated, detained and recently released. Accounts of prison conditions from our contacts show the intensity of discrimination, abuse, medical neglect, and punitive isolation that our communities face on the inside. Incarcerated T/GV individuals also report dismissal, intimidation, and/or retaliation when attempting to file grievances.
In response to these injustices, formerly incarcerated T/GV Philadelphians and allies began a conversation about ways to address these issues. Chief among the concerns raised were the ways that prisons remove incarcerated people from their support networks and communities. Breaking the isolation of our incarcerated community members has been a critical step in addressing health and safety issues from the outside.
Out of a desire to meet these needs, a network grew and became Hearts on a Wire.
Points of Unity
Autonomy & Humanity
We take leadership from those most impacted and who experience the worst consequences of over-policing and mass incarceration. We do not assume what people need - we ask. Our work aims to elevate and nurture people’s humanity.
The Criminal Legal System
We believe that the criminal legal system is incapable of administering justice. The criminal legal system is a form of violence. We are committed to breaking isolation and building community. We challenge the belief that prisons and police keep us safer while recognizing and centering the safety needs of our communities.
We Are Family
We see ourselves as a family, not just members of an organization. We are here for each other. We care about one another's news big or small. We believe that we can make a difference by joining together. We appreciate updates to know how much progress has been made and what remains to be achieved.
Community
We do not believe that isolation solves problems. We support people to take responsibility for their mistakes and work with others in their community to be accountable. We strive to build trust and are willing to be led by each other. We take our responsibilities seriously and expect ourselves to be an imperfect community. We strive towards a group model of deep democracy.
Accessibility
We choose meeting spaces that are physically accessible in terms of location and structure. We cultivate a meeting space culture that as many people as possible can participate in comfortably.
Alternatives To Policing & Incarceration
We believe that alternatives to policing and incarceration are possible. We recognize that some communities have limited options to pursue alternatives to calling the police in times of crisis. We live in a culture that tells us police and prisons make us safer. We have seen that police and prisons are violent and harmful, and do not make the majority of people safer.
Collective Liberation
We are committed to dismantling all forms of oppression and discrimination. We actively challenge systems of oppression that manifest within our group, our communities, and the structures and institutions that our organizing work targets. We envision decriminalization and decarceration as viable and necessary measures to address mass incarceration. Challenging white supremacy and transphobia is foundational to every aspect of our organizing work.
Care Work
We work from a place of compassion for each other, prioritize the mental health of our members, and continuously work on intentional accessibility.
Why Did Hearts First Come Together?
“When Hearts On A Wire started it was a motivation of a transgender community protecting, educating, loving, caring, and sharing for our transgender community.
It also had a meaning of showing the love, happiness and joy of being able to contact an outside organization that actually took notice of abuse of transgender incarcerated people.
Other organizations would never recognize us or even want to get involved. But Hearts On A Wire was there and it was united.”
~ Miley, Founding Member and Inside Collective Leader
What Does Our Name Mean?
A wire, as it appears on the top of prison fences, enforces a border. It keeps friends, lovers, family members, and communities apart. But, a wire can also be an important channel for communication. Our hearts abide in the ambiguity of the wire – as an instrument of separation and connection. Therefore, the intention of our work, is to strengthen that fragile connection on the line.
