Rollerskates and Legacy: The Moth Podcast
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Who introduces The Moth Community Program and Justice Initiative?
Hi there, everyone, and welcome to The Moth. I'm Jermaine Archer, executive director of a nonprofit called Rehabilitation Through the Arts, or RTA, which is celebrating 30 years of using the arts to teach life skills to incarcerated New Yorkers. I'm also a moth storyteller, and I'm so excited to be hosting this episode of The Moth Podcast. Today, we're featuring two stories from the Moth's Community Program, which, through workshops and events, brings storytelling to nonprofits, cultural institutions, and a bunch of other cool places around the country. The Community Program has featured stories spanning topics from veteran and immigrant experiences to mental health and cultural identity. On this episode, we're focusing on stories from our Justice Initiative.
In 2026 alone, we've recorded stories from family members navigating incarceration, entrepreneurs who've used experiences and skills acquired in the penal system, and survivors of violence who found forgiveness. Together, these stories tell of the many ways people are working together to reimagine what justice can look like. Our first story is from Dolores Canales, who told her story at a community workshop in San Francisco. Here's Dolores, live at The Moth.
OK, like that? I was in Chowchilla State Prison for Women, serving seven years on a nine-year prison sentence. And this is where much of my community still resides. During my incarceration, I had many jobs within the institution. And one of those jobs was working in the program office.
How did Dolores Canales come to work and build community in Chowchilla State Prison?
I worked in D Facility Program. And this is where the captain, lieutenant, sergeant all had their offices. We all had our own office, my peers and my colleagues. We had our own office, and in the mornings, we'd show up to work, and I'd take my Kirk Franklin and my Shirley Caesar gospel CDs. And one morning, I was playing Amazing Grace by Shirley Caesar. And my coworker, Ty, who was serving life without the possibility of parole, and is who still is in prison right now to this day, began to cry. But it was a gut-wrenching cry. like deep within her soul. You could hear the agony as she cried out. And I went up to her and I hugged her. And I just, I knew. I said, you're tired of being here, aren't you? And she said, yes.
So I let her continue to cry in my arms. But we became very close. We bonded at that moment. And we say we're each other's sister from another mister. One time Ty had shared with me that all she ever wanted when growing up was her very own roller skating party. So Ty had a birthday coming up and I had decided I was gonna find a way to get her some roller skates. I thought to myself, should I ask some staff to bring roller skates because roller skates are not allowed in prison, we don't have any. But then I thought about it and I thought I would not want anybody to lose their job over roller skates. So I thought I'll make some roller skates. So I thought, if I could just get wheels. I started looking at everything with wheels.
I was looking at the mop buckets, but then I thought, oh, they were too hard to take off, plus the women would get angry if we didn't have our mop buckets. So then one day I go into the chapel, where I used to work there at one time too, and I go with the two clerks. They were both lifers. And I'm telling them, I need some wheels. I'm going to make Tyson roller skates. So I said, I'm going to get one of the chairs of Chaplain Doherty's, and I'm going to take those wheels, because they have five wheels on them, and I only needed four. So I was going to leave one behind. So of course they had my back and were going to let me take the wheels. So I get my wheels and the chaplain ends up walking in. Chaplain Doherty looks and he's talking to us and we're all laughing and everything.
And then he looks at the chair and he says... wasn't there wheels on that chair? And everybody, the three of us, we just stay quiet and we're looking at him. But then I don't want him to assume that maybe, you know, one of them had something to do with it. So I said, I took them, Chaplin Doherty, I have the wheels.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
Who introduces The Moth Community Program and Justice Initiative?
0:03–1:37
2
How did Dolores Canales come to work and build community in Chowchilla State Prison?
1:37–12:07
3
How did Dolores secretly create roller skates and plan a prison birthday party?
12:07–23:28
4
What improvised decorations and details made Ty’s rollerskating party feel real?
23:28–29:30