This is Charlie Hughes, better known as Sheik Bilal Abdul Salaam-Bey. I’m housed at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. This piece is called Conscious Outlook. It is the first issue of my newsletter that is put out through the Conscious Initiative Call Out. Hope you all enjoy.
Greetings, everyone. This is the first issue of the newsletter for the Conscious Initiative Call Out. The purpose of this newsletter is to get the voices of prisoners heard. We aim to uplift and inspire others to seek change, mentally, physically, socially, educationally, economically and spiritually. We owe it to ourselves, our families, our friends and our communities, to transform into a better version of ourselves. We are taking the initiative to consciously shape our lives. We are fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, uncles and friends. We are like iron – sometimes we must go through the fire in order to be useful. We have to grow through what we go through. Those of us in Conscious Initiative are mavericks.
A maverick is an individual who does not go along with the group or party, an independent thinker who refuses to conform to the accepted view on a subject. Our vision is to see people developing the tools to think righteously and soberly, functioning in an authentic manner with unity in a diverse world. Our mission statement is influencing a productive culture by encouraging personal growth in order for individuals to successfully reintegrate into society and lower recidivism, mentally, physically, spiritually and vocationally.
My name is Charley Hughes. I am the newsletter editor for Conscious Outlook. I have been incarcerated for the past 17 years. It took me losing everything to decide I wanted to change my life for the better. My younger brothers were following in my footsteps, and I wanted to make a positive impact on them. I stopped fighting and I stopped getting into confrontations with CO’s. Once I changed my behaviors, I started noticing my attitude changing. I dived deep into my religion and found inner peace. Others started noticing my change and encouraged me to stay on the right path. CO’s started complimenting me and showing me respect. Prisoners who were struggling started coming to me for advice. I turned my hatred into love.
Joining Conscious Initiatives has lifted me up in more ways than I can say. One of my highlights was seeing my brother and friend Dennis Haynes receive his certificate and give his testimony. It goes to show that with discipline and dedication, we can accomplish anything we set our minds on. It’s been a long time coming, but I will be getting released on August 30, 2025 Thank all of you who have supported me on this positive journey. Thank you all for your time, efforts and energy. And anyone wishing to write me according to this piece, or concerning this piece, may do so by writing Charley Hughes, number 96576, Hutchinson Correctional Facility, PO Box 1568, Hutchinson, Kansas, 67504. Also, you can go to the website, prisonradio.org, click on correspondence and find Sheik Bilal Abdul Salam-Bey. Once again, thank you all for your time, efforts and energy.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.