Lateef Islam Memorial Show

Yesterday I had a sore throat & stuffed head, so Lady D stepped up to the board and hosted an interesting and moving show, taking phone calls and reading letters and emails about the late Lateef Islam, a pillar of the Poughkeepsie community. Here's what Larry Mamiya, professor of Religion and Africana Studies and Faculty Coordinator of the Vassar Prison Programs said about Lateef:

Lateef Islam was a giant of a man, not only physically but also mentally and spiritually. He literally dominated the area of community activism in Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County. After dropping out of school and being arrested under the Rockefeller Drug Laws, Lateef spent 11 years in prison mostly at Green Haven. While at Green Haven he completed a GED, an Associates from Dutchess Community College, and a B.A. from Marist College. During his imprisonment, he met some of the leading members of the "Think Tank" such as Eddie Ellis and Larry White who helped to pioneer major reform programs in New York State prisons. Lateef took to heart the "Non-Traditional Approach" of the Think Tank that emphasized how oppressed, incarcerated men can help and empower each other. He brought that philosophy to his work with young people in the Poughkeepsie community upon his release. "Each one teach one," he loved to say. Lateef never forgot those who were in prison; he often went back to speak to the men and encouraged them to get an education. I recall meeting Lateef at many community events, including the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. March in the city's streets. When his health did not permit him to march, he followed in his car. He was generous with his time and often spoke to the Vassar students workng in prisons. We will all miss his physcial presence but we know that he is with us in spirit.