September 2nd, 2016

Tuesday this week was a bittersweet day for me, because President Obama commuted the sentences of 111 prisoners but my partner wasn’t one of them.

It’s a good thing that more people will be released from draconian sentences, but even though I am excited—for the few names I am familiar with and for those I am not—I still got teary-eyed at the news, because my partner’s name had been left off the list.

My partner, David Morris Barren, is 51 years old. He is the father of six children, aged between eight and 26. He is currently serving a life sentence—plus 20 years—for nonviolent offenses: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering. He has been incarcerated for close to 10 years.

The author with her partner

A higher level of anxiety kicked in for me on Tuesday, because every month that David is not on that list is one month less I have in hopes of him coming home. At these moments I often ask myself, “Will he become that lucky person to come home, or will I have to visit him in prison until the day he dies?”

My phone buzzed all day with people asking, over and over, if my loved one was one of those lucky candidates. Over and over, I had to give the painful answer: No.

And the reality, with President Obama’s time in the White House running out, is that if I have to continue to answer my calls and texts in that way each month between now and January, my partner is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. I often try to suppress that thought with the happiness I have for the ones who have received clemency.

I am an elementary school special education teacher, as well as a mother. This school year in Pittsburgh, where I live, may be the most important of my life. I am on the clock—not only to transform children’s lives, but to advocate and fight to ensure that David can get a second chance at his life.

With David serving a life sentence without parole, having exhausted all of his appeals, President Obama is the only person who can allow me to be David’s partner outside of the walls of a prison cell, and allow David to bond with his elderly parents and prospering children.

The very same adrenaline that rushes through my body when my students have to push through their early state exams is with me every day at the prospect of David being on that next clemency list.

At 51, David is beginning the second half of his life. Spending another 10 or 20 years in prison would afford him little time to spend with me, his best friend. His chance to become the productive citizen his parents groomed prior to his incarceration will be ended by the walls of a prison cell. Our hopes and dreams to take each other’s hand through life will be just another conversation in a visiting room. The continual growth of his children will just be a dream for David if he doesn’t receive clemency.

Because President Obama continues to grant clemency each month, I believe he understands the meaning of redemption and mistakes that can create a second chance—not just for David, but for the11,000 other people who are hoping to be on the next clemency list.

As I often tell my students, “It’s okay to make a mistake—just make sure you learn from that mistake!”

I hope President Obama shares the same sentiment as Ms. Caldwell—the teacher, the mother, the advocate, and the partner of David Morris Barren, who is on the clock until January 20, 2017 to seek a second chance at life after a man’s tremendous mistake.

I pray David’s name makes the next clemency list, as the next president may not be so forgiving.

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You can sign the petition asking for clemency for David Morris Barren here.

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Anrica Caldwell, M.Ed., is a special education school teacher in Pittsburgh. She is VP of the CAN-DO Clemency Foundation. You can follow her on Twitter: @AnricaC.