Dear Friends,

Earlier this year, I joined NRCAT as a full-time staff member, serving as the Coordinator of NRCAT’s National Network of Solitary Survivors. Since then, I have had full, rewarding days supporting solitary survivors, taking part in the campaign to pass the California Mandela Act that would end the torturous use of solitary confinement in CA prisons, jails and immigrant detention centers, and appearing at NRCAT-supported events across the country.

As a solitary survivor and artist, it was an honor to be invited this past July to be the keynote speaker at the States of Solitary, an artivism (art + activism) event that united over 150 justice-impacted people from many walks of life in D.C., hosted by the Unlock the Box Campaign. As a native Apache, I was able to display my indigenous artwork without criminalization – the same artwork that landed me in solitary for 15 years while incarcerated in California. After speaking, I participated in two more days of activities and workshops with advocates from 23 state campaigns to end solitary, joining conversations on topics like "Legislative and Litigious Language" and "Building a Leadership Pipeline of Directly Impacted People.” 

In all the years I sat by myself in a solitary confinement cell, I never thought that I would someday be touring the U.S. as one of the main interview subjects of a major film documentary on solitary. The Strike, a documentary that premiered at Hot Docs in Toronto this April, features myself, Jack Morris, who is on NRCAT’s U.S. Prisons Program Advisory Council, Dolores Canales, a NRCAT board member, and many others who tell the story of the historic 2011 and 2013 California prison hunger strikes. The hunger strikes effectively ended the kind of long-term solitary confinement throughout California state prisons where people were spending years, even decades in solitary, rather than days or weeks.

The Strike is a gripping and necessary film that sheds light on a part of the American justice system that many prefer to ignore. It captures the incredible determination of the prisoners and their allies, who, despite being physically confined, found a way to make their voices heard. The film doesn’t just chronicle a protest—it shows the power of collective action, the human spirit’s resilience, and the ongoing fight for justice inside the U.S. prison system.

The film is playing to packed theaters, and Jack, Dolores, and I have spoken at screenings across the country, including in California, Texas, and Washington D.C., with many more places to come. The Strike will have its wide public release in the spring of 2025, and until then you can check out the trailer and the film's website to see if there are any upcoming screenings near you. 

It has been amazing to connect with the people who have attended the many public events I have participated in since joining NRCAT in a full-time staff position this year. I especially want to give a shout out to the thousands of solitary survivors in this nation and the faith advocates who are working with them to end the torture of solitary confinement. If we haven’t met, I hope we connect soon. 

Until then, 
Michael Saavedra
Coordinator, NRCAT National Network of Solitary Survivors