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Third Floor Sweet Hall, 590 Escondido Mall phone: (650) 723-2631
Stanford, CA 94305-3069 fax: (650) 723-0631
http://pwr.stanford.edu
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April 6, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Donna Hunter and I have been a lecturer in Stanford University’s Program in Writing and
Rhetoric for the last ten years. I am writing to call attention to Reginold Daniel’s presentation in my
freshmen seminar, “The Virtue of Vice and the Vice of Virtue: The Rhetoric of Criminality,” on
Thursday, February 19, 2015 as well as his conversation with students in a student-led course and
Alternative Spring Break trip focusing on education and incarceration on March 25, 2015.
First, I was introduced to Reggie by USF Professor Amie Dowling, and Reggie, Ivan Corado and Amie
all came to my freshman writing and research seminar to discuss their short film, Well Contested Sites,
which raises awareness about incarceration through dance. In addition to describing his role in the
performance and film, Reggie answered my students’ questions about his work with Manalive and RSVP,
his personal history with jail and prison, his sense of the possibilities of rehabilitation, and how
environment and generational involvement with incarceration affects people. For instance, Reggie
explained how he remembered his mother taking him to see his incarcerated father as a child and then
later being imprisoned at the same prison at the same time as his father. It was an incredibly powerful
example of how family and community environments can lead to generations of incarceration. Reggie’s
enthusiasm about my students’ research projects and his current studies at USF also positively affected
my students, most of whom had never met a person who’d been incarcerated.
Second, because I was also sponsoring the ASB education and incarceration course, I invited students in
that course to attend the class I describe above. One of the course’s organizers came and was so
impressed by Reggie’s knowledge and presentation that she later arranged to have the entire class meet
with Reggie during their alternative spring break trip. Both Reggie and the students found the experience
rich and illuminating. During their conversation, Reggie covered much of what he spoke of in my class:
1) his work as a client/service provider for the Resolve to Stop the Violence Project and Roads to
Recovery, 2) his work in Performing Arts/Restorative justice, 3) Rehabilitation programs and why he
feels they have very impact on lowering recidivism, 4) his current educational goals and his
accomplishments over the last decade, and 5) his personal experience/research on the California
Department of Corrections—what they do well and where they could improve.
All in all, Reggie is a smart and excellent speaker and teacher, who I would be excited to have interact
with Stanford students again.
Sincerely,
Donna Hunter, PhD
Program in Writing and Rhetoric
Stanford University