“Concrete Mama” producers visit the Walla Walla Democrats

The Walla Walla Democrats Central Committee welcomed the producers of the “Concrete Mama” podcast to its June 10 meeting. View the video above.

The program featured Rachel Kjack, the CEO of Unincarcerated Productions and the co-producer of Concrete Mama, a podcast series created by inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. She was joined by co-producer Vik Chopra and former podcast host Anthony Covert.

Concrete Mama is a raw, provocative, and one-of-a-kind new podcast recorded from inside the penitentiary in Walla Walla. Hosts Demar, Anthony, Red, and Cambo tackle prison stereotypes head-on, sharing real-life experiences that challenge and recontextualize what you think you know about life within the prison industrial complex. 

They delve into the prison’s notorious past, recounting stories from the “Concrete Mama” era – a time when a failed experiment turned the facility into one of America’s most feared prisons – and document in real-time Anthony’s transition home on clemency while the rest of the team remains inside.

Rachel, Vik, and Anthony shared several stories behind the project’s beginnings and highlight the impact Concrete Mama has made in its first season.

Anthony's sentence was recently commuted and he now lives and works in Walla Walla. This fall, he will begin attending Whitman College in pursuit of an economics degree.

The team recently completed its eighth and final podcast of season one. Podcasts for the second season are in production.

Click here for links to recent Union-Bulletin articles about this podcast.

Here is a link to the Concrete Mama website.