you don't know my name
you don't know my name
A documentary feature by
Tommy Franklin
the search is on!
After being separated from his incarcerated mother at birth, Tommy Franklin searches for her identity while uncovering deep ancestral bloodlines. As he gets closer to this life-altering truth, he must navigate his way through systems designed to keep him in the dark.
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The protagonists
tommy
As a formerly incarcerated parent himself, Tommy tries to solve the mystery of who his mother is. He is on a journey of self-discovery, and he is fighting for the right to know the very source from which he came. His soul needs that clarity; there’s no other Black woman on earth he would rather meet, even if just once. It’s clear Tommy never wants to live life as the version of himself that gives up this search. How will he handle a brand new life with her should they meet? Or his dealing with her wanting nothing to do with him? Even if Tommy’s mother doesn’t want to love him, he is going to tell her, “I love you.”
autumN
Autumn Mason is a recently certified prison doula. She stepped into this work as a part of her very own healing journey. Autumn was one of the first women in the state of Minnesota to give birth after the passing of the 2014 Anti Shackling Act, which made the cuffing or shackling of pregnant people illegal. In 2021, she was able to work with several state legislators, to support the passing of the Healthy Start Act. Working with the MN Prison Doula Project since 2019 has allowed Autumn to return to the same prison that she was confined in and connect with clients and help prepare them for reentry and reconnection with their children and families.
erica
Erica Gerrity is a co-founder of the Minnesota Prison Doula Project and the Executive Director of Ostara Initiative. She is a licensed clinical social worker and doula who has worked with incarcerated pregnant people and their children for the past twenty years. Erica's efforts to create social change at the intersection of reproductive health and incarceration have passed Minnesota's Anti-Shackling legislation in 2014, as well as the historic Healthy Start Act in 2021.
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