My father was incarcerated a few years ago and I was curious to know more about his experience. When I finally inquired, he mentioned that his cellmate’s name was Moses; but he seemed reluctant to further elucidate. I looked up “Moses” in the Ohio prisoner database, Offender Search.
I was astounded to find not just one or two Moseses, but twelve. The men were carelessly photographed for the roster: the photos were blurred, stretched, distorted, some were pictured without the tops of their heads. I had never seen such crude portraiture, the photos were offensive in their dearth of consideration for their subjects.
I was moved to try to restore some dignity to these men through carefully drawn portraits. It did not seem to matter which individual was the Moses my father knew. They were all Moses. That biblical freedom seeker. That man we condemned to rot in a cell in Ohio.
