Josephine Howell used to find it too painful to talk to her eldest son.
Charles is in prison on the East Coast, serving to two life sentences for second-degree murder. He was convicted at the age of 17 and has been locked up since 1999.
Howell fronts Seattle band Radio Raheem. They’ve written a new song about her son called, “Dear Charles.”
Howell told KUOW’s Jeannie Yandel that the song is a way that she attempts to express depths of her feeling in grappling with Charles’ situation.
“In all actuality I believe sometimes you have to be in the position in order to understand, and I never, ever want anybody to have to be in this position to understand it. So I tried my best to explain it,” Howell said.
Listen to Howell’s emotional interview to hear her explain how victims of crime can be empathetic to her situation.
WATCH: Josephine Howell gives a teaser of "Dear Charles" in the KUOW studios.
https://youtu.be/PzTg858JT30