Detroit Free Press staff

DALLAS — Former Detroit first lady Carlita Kilpatrick is expected to speak publicly and candidly for the first time in several years about life after the incarceration of her husband, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, on a panel entitled "Testimonies of Triumph: Stories of Hope in the Face of Despair."

The panel on parenting through incarceration is a part of the 3rd Annual National Prison Summit on Mass Incarceration and features a prisoner's son as well as the wives of pastors and politicians whose husbands are in prison.

The discussion's goal, event host Toska Medlock Lee said, was to give the women a chance to talk about their own journeys and what's important to them.

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"We know that there are grandmothers, aunties, uncles, who, because of the sheer population of children left behind, need to give those children a voice. These women are not proud of our stories. But we are proud that we've found a way to empower other people with our stories."