From Labels to Image-Bearers
NOVEMBER 25, 2025
A NEW BEGINNING FOR MCCORMICK’S SCHOLARS WITHIN PROGRAM
A Reflection by Juah Washington, Academic Program Manager
This fall, the Scholars Within program — a Solidarity Building Initiative (SBI) program formerly known as the Seminary in Jail — re-launched at the Cook County Department of Corrections with a simple but radical conviction: every person is made in the image of God — an image that endures even behind bars.
As we gathered at Division 3AX, a residential all-female corrections unit, for the first session of our new 5-week workshop, Made in God’s Image: A Front Row Seat, I walked in carrying accordion folders stuffed with syllabi, bell hooks’ All About Love, chapter one of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Strength to Love, orientation forms, and a welcome letter.
Eleven women walked in carrying something far more precious: their stories, their questions, their longing to connect being with doing.
LAYING DOWN LABELS, LIFTING UP DIGNITY
We began with the core values that anchor Scholars Within: Safety, Access, Opportunity, Dignity, Freedom, Redemption, and Community. Together, we named what those values would look like in that room— respect, honesty, listening, and the freedom to show up as one’s full self.
Then came a small but holy act: we laid down labels.
For two hours, the women in that circle were not reduced to case numbers, charges, or stereotypes. Their personhood came into view …
Former business owners
Experienced teachers and caregivers
Mothers estranged from children on the outside
Students eager to understand how the image of God in them remains intact despite all that has tried to distort it
Dr. Maisha Handy and Dr. Barbara Wilson joined the circle, sharing not just their titles but their joys and even their favorite foods as a way to break the ice. It was a reminder: no matter our role, we are all human beings in need of connection, nourishment, and grace.
When asked, “What do you hope to gain from the Made in God’s Image workshop?” the resounding answer was simple and profound:
“I want to get closer to God.”
One Spanish-speaking Scholar offered this hope in her own language:
“Espero educarme y aprender nuevas cosas para ser mejor persona en todos los aspectos.”
“I hope to educate myself and learn new things to become a better person in every way.”
A SACRED PAUSE IN A HOSTILE SPACE
In a context marked by uncertainty, hostility, and circumstances that chronically overwhelm, it is no small thing to carve out a pocket of time where people can simply be … and learn, and breathe. For two hours every Monday evening, we co-created a space of community healing, where questions were welcome, tears were honored, and hope had room to stretch.
By week three, our lesson focused on Matthew 10:16:
“Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
We used this verse, as well as King’s sermon “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart” from Strength to Love, as a framework for exploring what it means to be both grounded and gentle, strong and soft, discerning and compassionate.
Almost prophetically, this conversation prepared the Scholars for an unexpected transition: a sudden move from their current living space to a new one. Anxiety and frustration rose quickly to the surface. The disruption was real, and it mirrored the instability that defines so much of carceral life.
We knew we couldn’t rush past that tension. So we paused. We listened. We made room for honest dialogue about fear, anger, and uncertainty. That, too, became part of the curriculum.
“EVEN THOUGH I AM IN JAIL…”
In moments like these, I return to something one of the Scholars shared on the very first day, through tears:
“Even though I am in jail, I can sense the Holy Spirit.”
Her words hold a grounding truth: the success of the Scholars Within program cannot be measured only by our lesson plans, our preparation, or our neatly completed forms. It lives in the ways God shows up in places the world has written off.
Every time we gather, every time we bridge the gap between the world of incarceration and the world of freedom, we bear witness to the reality of Immanuel, God with us. We discover anew that God dwells with the least, the locked away, the forgotten, no matter what barriers insist otherwise.
LOOKING AHEAD: SCHOLARS WITHIN 2026
As 2026 approaches, Scholars Within is preparing to expand its reach and deepen its impact with more transformative educational experiences for men and women at the Cook County Department of Corrections.
We are committed to creating spaces where:
Theological reflection meets lived experience
Education becomes a pathway to healing and imagination
People living in carceral settings are recognized as scholars, theologians, and image-bearers of God
Your interest, collaboration, and support make this work possible — and we welcome it. Together, we can continue to build a program that upholds the dignity of every person and refuses to accept that any story is finished.