James Link

 Under a cloudless midday Missouri sky, a familiar figure slowly makes his way around the outdoor walking track at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, a hub in the Ozarks. For James Link, age 64, this is part of his daily routine along with calling his longtime partner Robin in the afternoon. Scooting along methodically and slowly, James arrives at his usual noon spot, an asphalt pad by a picnic table under the shade of sugar maple tree, one of sixteen lining the edges of the brick walled enclosed yard. He puts on his JVC headphones to start his extensive playlist of Motown, R&B, Rock, and Hip Hop. This is his sound escape; each song brings back memories from decades past, of people, places, and moments. Before his incarceration. Before his stroke. 

Track #1- “Inner City Blues” by Marvin Gaye

James Thomas Link’s, called Link by some, soundtrack ‘pushed play’ on March 10th, 1957 in Washington D.C. HIs mother Mary’s family, descending from slaves in the Beaver Dam, Virginia area, moved to D.C.’s Bryant neighborhood. Hailing from New York City originally, Harry Link Sr.’s family relocated to D.C. when he was a child. The early years of James’ life were happy ones with Harry Sr. being “the rock of the family.” Tragically, that foundation cracked when Harry succumbed to heart disease before James turned 10, leaving a void for Mary, him, and his siblings. Soon after though, his mother met and eventually married Mr. Woody Graham, whom James remembers as a “decent father who made a difference.” Woody owned and operated a five and dime store in the Bryant neighborhood selling food, clothing, and household goods. Mary also worked at the family business along with James’ older siblings, Harry Jr. and DeDe. After those two and James came Gregory, Chucky, Sheila, Donna, Carolyn, and Melita.

As a teenager, James attended Cadoza High School, where he was an active athlete going out for football, basketball, and his favorite sport, baseball. He remembers Math and thinks he received a good education, graduating in 1973. During the early 70’s, James’ love for music also blossomed. He went to the local record store frequently to buy singles for as little as two cents. This was the Golden Age of Motown, and while James’ MP3 playlist is filled with stars of the time, Mr. Marvin Gaye was and still remains his all-time favorite with iconic singles like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Distant Lover” blaring through his headphones. During the spring and summer, he would hop in his pride and joy, a Coupe de Ville, with the radio blaring through the souped up speakers he installed, and headed down to Hains Point, rod and tackle box in hand to go fishing. 

Alongside his interests in sports, music, cars, and fishing-all typical teenage fixations-came a rebellious streak, also a mark of adolescence. His step father Woody passed away while James was a young teen, leaving his mother to raise nien kids on her own and pick up more hours at the store to pay bills. It meant giving more responsibility and freedom with their time and choices. Wanting extra spending money, Harry Jr. began to pickpocket on the street. James started to run with Toad and Bookie, two friends from high school, often having run-ins with the principal for breaking school rules. He started following his brother’s for petty theft, which eventually led him to juvenile hall for a couple months. 

Track 2- ”Right and Wrong” by Keith Sweat

James, toward the end of high school, had two positives enter his life, both still sources of pride and strength decades later-his daughter, Sharon, and his Islamic faith. During his junior year, he met and started dating a girl named Robin, who gave birth to Sharon, the person whom James is the most proud of today. Soon after Sharon’s birth, Robin and James parted ways, but James continued to be part of Sharon’s life. He would take her through D.C. to visit the National Mall, monuments, and museums, becoming tourists in their own backyard.

At the age of 18, another positive entered James’ life when his older sister, Dede, introduced him to Islam. Dede joined the Nation of Islam in the early 1970’s, changing her name to Sugah Real, similar to Cassius Clay renaming himself Muhammed Ali. James already looked up to Ali as a person with fortitude to be himself and not back down Hoping to give James a spiritual foundation and direction, his sister encouraged him to study and join the local Nation of Islam congregation. Attending the mosque gave James “a peace of mind” he didn’t have before.  

Despite having his daughter and his newfound faith, James went down a path of crime. The pickpocketing of his earlier teens evolved into break-ins of businesses and eventually armed robbery. During his teens and early 20’s, James also started shooting heroin, a habit that evolved into an addiction, fueling him to commit more robberies for drug money. Looking back at that time, James said there were jobs available in his neighborhood. Specifically, he remembered PRIDE Incorporated, a job program started by the D.C. mayor at the time. When workers cleared back streets, alleys, and lots. It would’ve been a good paying job he wished he had applied for. 

Eventually, James’ robberies led to him being sentenced to ten years in federal prison in 1979. He was sent to Petersburg, Virginia, a maximum security facility close to home. He quickly found his ‘’car’’, a circle of inmates he moved with for safety in the often rough and violent world of maximum security prisons. His mother, Mary, along with siblings Sugah Real, Harry, Sheila, and Gregory, visited him, keeping him tethered to the outside world. 

Track 3- “My Girl” by the Temptations

In 1984, James was released from Petersburg and returned to D.C., reuniting with his family. Over the course of the next two and a half decades, he worked various jobs but also continued to rob, leading to a few more stints in D.C. jails. Heroin continued to plague James’ life as well, its effects taking its toll on him physically as well as on his relationships. 

Then, in July of 2010, a beacon of hope, grace, and love shone out of the darkness. After a recent release from jail, James went to an orientation for Fatherhood RESTORED, a program in D.C. aimed at reconnecting formerly incarcerated dads with their children. Although he didn’t qualify for the program with Sharon, who was already a legal adult, he decided to stay involved through volunteering to help other dads as they reestablished bonds. Through the program, he met Robin Waley, who ran a part of the non-profit. Attracted to her intelligence, strong faith, and her commitment to family as well as her beauty, James soon asked her out. Robin, attracted to his engaging humor as well as respecting his honesty and ownership of his incarceration history, said yes. Their first date involved attending church together. Robin, also a minister at the church, was unlike other women James had dated, and he quickly fell in love [insert photo of James and Robin] Robin remembers her favorite memories with James, or as she calls him “Bey”, as walking in the parks on spring days, and enjoying time with family. After a long road of tumult, James welcomed the calmness, peace, and love he found with Robin. 

Track 4- “Quiet Storm” by Smokey Robinson

After five years with Robin, James had made many positive changes to his life; winning his battle with heroin, buying an apartment, and becoming closer with his family, including his daughter and his two grandsons. He was ready to commit himself to Robin and proposed to her in the recently bought apartment. She said yes. Then, James’ past life of crime crashed into his present as he was arrested by federal agents and charged with armed robbery of several banks around the D.C. area. After his sentencing, he was sent to Indiana to the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, a place James remembers as “having lots of fights.” With the turmoil of incarcerated life storming around him, James continued to reach out to his North Star, his steadfast love, Robin for hope, encouragement and joy.

One night in 2016, the exact date James now can’t remember, a tempest boiled up inside him, in the form of a major stroke. James recalls going to bed call, feeling a blinding pain and not being able to move. The immediate aftermath is unknown to James, Robin, and his family. Because James called Robin almost daily, she knew something was wrong when she stopped receiving calls. She called the penitentiary in Terre Haute, but she wasn’t given any information on his health by prison officials. 

One night, sitting in her office, agonizing over not knowing the well being of her love, Robin prayed, “Lord, I don’t know where Bey is.” Right away, something prompted her to go to the Inmate Locator website where she entered James’ information, only to be shocked to discover James had moved to Springfield for medical care. No one at the Bureau of prisons had called her nor his family to inform them of the events that had transpired.

James’ stroke had left him completely paralyzed and unable to move, eat, speak, or breathe on his own. When Robin called officials at USMCFP in Springfield, they updated her on Bey's condition, explaining to her they believed initially that James wasn’t going to survive. He had though, and Robin gave praise and glory to God for saving her Bey. With the help of the USMCFP staff, Robin and James’ brother Harry were able to come out and visit him.

Track 5- “Rocket Man” by Elton John

James had survived the stroke, but it had altered him. The man, who had loved playing sports, growing up and taking strolls in the park with Robin, couldn’t walk. The man, who liked to joke around and cut up with friends and family, couldn’t speak. The man, who enjoyed French toast made by Robin, BBQ chicken, and soul food, received meals through a feeding tube. The man, who liked to fish and give his many friends fist bump greetings, only had limited use of his left arm.

Inside him though, James’ vivacious and fighting spirit never left him. Recovery from his stroke was measured in small victories. For example, one day, chili cheese fries were being served for lunch. Mike Smith, a new orderly on James’ unit, delivered the lunch tray and removed the lid, revealing the thick golden spud slices smothered by spicy chili and melted cheddar cheese. James eyed them and pointed to Mike who obliged and held the tray near him. James, with his now mobile left hand, began eating fries one by one, savoring the first real food he had had in months. [Photo of James, Mike, and Brian]. A nurse walked into the room, shocked to see James eating real food. Mike recalls being afraid that he might have killed him by giving him real food to eat orally, but James survived, content with a belly full of comfort food. Over the next months, Mike would continue to work on James’ unit. He witnessed James’ tough days when he’d get frustrated at his inability to do simple tasks like moving in and out of bed, changing clothes, and bathing without someone’s aid. James would lash out at the nurses and mike with the few works he was able to get out. Along with these low moments, though, were moments of progress. With the help of physical therapists, James developed strength in his left arm and leg, and though speech therapy, James was able to express himself more fluently. 

Five years after his stroke James has the ability to get in and out of his wheelchair, maneuver around the medical center’s building and grounds, and complete everyday tasks with some assistance from staff and incarcerated workers. He sometimes still ponders “Why did this happen to me?” Out of all his impairments, he says not being able to walk still frustrates him the most. He becomes frustrated at his difficulty of getting his thoughts, needs, memories, and feelings expressed through speech. Despite his physical and verbal limitations, James’ energy and personality fill any place he’s at. For those passing him in the corridors or rec area, he has a smile, a laugh, a fist bump, or his trademark and booming “Well, well, well” ready to greet. In a prison culture where race, age, region, and crime type creates division and tension, James is unique, looking past those differences, and caring about the content of one’s character. At his age and after what he’s been through, he has stopped caring about prison politics.

Track 6- “When You Love Somebody” by Leela James

While a large percentage of inceratees’ bodies are festooned with tattoos, James only has one. On the underside of his forearm is “Robin” written in cursive. When Robin is mentioned to him, a wide smile beams across his face every time. He calls her every afternoon to check in. Sometimes more than once a day, sometimes using up his 500 phone minutes before the end of the month. He says his stroke experience brought them closer together. In the tough moments, he thinks of her. His playlist has a high percentage of love songs, each a reminder of the woman waiting for him at home. [Insert drawing of Robin] A couple years ago, he had one of the many talented artists at Springfield do a drawing rendition of her that she has now. Robin, when asked what she’s learned through Bey’s incarceration journey, says “I learned what LOVE is. I learned how to love unconditionally. Love is patient and sacrificial. It believes all things and endures all things. It never fails.”

Track 7- End of the Road” by Boyz II Men

James is currently in the legal process of seeking a compassionate release due to both his age, 64, and his chronic medical conditions. As a medical facility, Springfield is filled with men who have such chronic illnesses and conditions as well in their 70’s and 80’s, who pose no threat to society and want to spend the time they have left with loved ones instead of being warehoused here until their demise. [Photo of James in wheelchair]. While James’ current health has stabilized, he has other underlying health conditions which make him more prone to illness in the future. He regrets his choices, saying he has a loving family who has suffered. After being denied compassionate release by Springfield prison officials, James’ petition has moved to the Federal District tCourt of Eastern Virginia, awaiting hearings in front of judges.

There are those who would argue that any prisoner, regardless of age or medical condition, should do the time for their crime. In response, James stares at his withered arm and leg and says, “What can I do now?” His love, Robin, says, “Only God, who is the maker of us all, has the right to pass judgment. We are all sinners shaped by inequity. No one has clean hands...no one. I think God always wants us to look for mercy. In Exodus 33.19 , He says, ‘I will make my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ I think God always wants us to be merciful when we have the opportunity.” In the face of uncertainty, James turns to his faith as a rock. He says, “I’m not afraid of anything, I have God with me.”

In prison, some turn to exercise, some to reading, some to hustling as a form of escape or control. James has his music, his love Robin, and his faith in God though. Hopefully, one day, he will leave USMCFP and return home. Robin, Sharon, his grandsons, siblings, and friends are waiting to see him in person, embrace him, support him, and hear his trademark “I love you. I love you. I love you.”