Reflections on the Film TIME
“Never give up, Never give in…”
I heard the American civil and human rights icon, Rep. John Lewis, speak those words often. In speeches on the floor of the U.S. Congress; at rallies where he addressed youth inspired by his every word and deed. Those simple words were clearly meant to convey: Don’t give up on yourselves. Don’t give in to institutions and policies designed to perpetuate systemic injustice. Don’t let outside forces, or forces from within yourselves, defeat you.
But imagine keeping the faith when someone you love has been sentenced to 60 years in prison…
This is the story in the gripping film “TIME”, produced and directed by the talented and provocative filmmaker Garrett Bradley. Her poignant and beautiful documentary chronicles the 20-year journey of a black family — the Richardsons — to recover from the heavy weight of a mistake they made when they were young adults. Fox and Rob were seeking to achieve a consummate American dream — business creation and ownership. But just at the point where they were about to open their own small business, they were suddenly denied financing. Desperate but determined to still succeed, they made a terrible error in judgment and committed an armed robbery. No excuse. And, predictably, they were shown no leniency. Fox served 3 1/2 years in prison, even though she was a young mother and pregnant with twins when sentenced. Her husband Rob was sentenced to 60 years without the possibility of parole in Louisiana’s notorious Angola prison.
But I do not want to dwell on their crime because the story of how the Richardsons became one of the 6.5 million of families entangled in the prison system is tragically familiar. They regret their mistake and served their time. How Fox and Rob stayed together through two decades of separation and managed to raise six exceptional young men is itself exceptional.
Personal agency is the notion that an individual has the ability to direct their actions and control the outcome of their circumstances. Through their astounding personal agency and led by Fox, the entire Richardson family is prevailing against the paradox of being a Black family in America — surviving under a racial caste system while living in the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world. They didn’t give up and didn’t give in.
I have spent much of my career and personal life working with Black youth to help them beat the odds stacked against them. I was honored to serve as the Chair of My Brother’s Keeper Task Force established by President Obama in 2014. I have witnessed well-intentioned young people make bad choices that derail their ambitions. I know from experience the Richardson family is among the few who have overcome the calamity that is incarceration and succeeded despite a system designed to keep them apart and keep them down. Mass incarceration does not bend toward justice. But what the Richardsons teach us is that undaunted determination and relentless personal agency can help us overcome seemingly overwhelming odds. And that the exercise of such fortitude need not be limited to our own fate but also to the broader campaign against the institutional evil of mass incarceration.
Lots of data show that the children of incarcerated Black men struggle mightily in school and in life. And yet, the Richardsons shattered those cycles. I had the privilege of speaking to Fox and Rob last fall. Their strong core values stood out so genuinely during our conversation — the same values exhibited throughout the film. I wanted to understand how their family managed to raise such exemplary sons while Robert was incarcerated, and Fox was so focused on his release. Rob explained that he was absolutely intent on being the best dad he could be under the unlikeliest of circumstances; to emphasize the importance of excelling in school; avoiding his mistakes; looking out for mom and each other. He treated every visit with his sons as an opportunity to father them. Every visit and every call with his wife was a moment to strengthen their love and commitment to each other, to such a great degree that Fox could not allow herself and her family to be defeated.
Through “TIME”, Ms. Bradley tells a beautiful and powerful story about family, love, perseverance, and exceptionalism. But, a story with a happy ending hasn’t been fully realized. Their cousin, Ontario Smith, who also participated in that fateful armed robbery with them is still not due to be released from prison for many more years. And, so Fox and Rob continue to seek his early release, to regain Ontario’s agency with his freedom. Hopefully, they succeed but that’s certainly no sure thing. But we do know this — the lives and values of the Richardson family ring so true to the simple and sustaining words of John Lewis. They have steadfastly refused to not give up or give in to a system designed to predetermine their fates, trap them in vicious cycles of generational mass incarceration, or to break apart their magnificent family.
Broderick D. Johnson is senior of counsel with Covington & Burling. Mr. Johnson is a public policy and political strategist with more than three decades of leadership at the highest levels of government and the legal profession. He provides strategic leadership advice and counsel to clients on legislative, regulatory, legal, and political issues. His experience includes telecommunications and technology, workforce development, tax policy, education, sports and entertainment, and financial services matters.
Mr. Johnson has the distinction of having been appointed to senior posts under two U.S. Presidents. He served as Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary under President Barack Obama. In that role, he was the President’s primary liaison to members of the Cabinet, directing a team that helped coordinate policy and communications strategy between the West Wing and Federal agencies. President Obama also appointed Mr. Johnson the chairman of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, an interagency initiative designed to identify and address the disparities that hamper the success of boys and young men of color, and to improve the lives of all youth. In the Clinton White House, he was Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs.
Mr. Johnson also has served as a senior advisor for several presidential campaigns, including the Obama-Biden and Kerry-Edwards campaigns. He is the Chairman of My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council, now a program of the Obama Foundation.
