Writing Letters to Incarcerated Women

If you would like to take part in our virtual letter writing campaign, we invite you to get in the comments and write a full letter of love, encouragement, and solidarity to a woman navigating incarceration, re‑entry, a shelter, or transitional housing. Your words will be shared with women who deserve to feel seen, valued, and held in community. Many of them go long stretches without receiving anything soft, personal, or affirming, and a simple message can make a real difference.

We are doing this because too many of our sisters are carrying their burdens in silence. Women who are incarcerated or system‑impacted are often isolated from consistent support, even though they are mothers, daughters, friends, and community members with full lives, real dreams, and deep humanity. A letter can interrupt that isolation. It can remind a woman that she is not forgotten, that she is still worthy of tenderness, and that her story is bigger than her current circumstances.

This campaign is our way of extending communal care beyond walls and barriers. It is a chance to send warmth into places where it is needed most, to speak life into someone’s future, and to honor the dignity of women who rarely get to hear words meant just for them.

When you write your letter, speak from the heart. You might offer hope or gentle encouragement. You might remind her that she is more than her past or her present situation. You might share a message about resilience, healing, or new beginnings. You might simply write with respect, compassion, and sisterhood.

There is no perfect way to write a letter. What matters is sincerity. Your message may be the light someone holds onto on a difficult day.

When you are ready, get in the comments and begin your letter. Start with “Dear Sister,” or whatever greeting feels right, and let your compassion guide your words.

Your letters will be redistributed this weekend and next week!