Michael Cornethan
Photograph of Michael Cornethan, obtained from the GoFundMe page.
Memorial by Christopher William Blackwell
Michael’s friend from inside Monroe Correctional
“We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.”
- Douglas Lawson
Michael was a brother, a friend; he was caring and compassionate; he had the time to be quiet and listen but never missed a chance to speak his mind where there was an injustice. I first met Michael at a concerned lifers meeting, an organization at the Monroe Correctional Complex that works to tackle issues of inequality inside and outside the prison. As a leader, he often stood up to fight — with a deep passion — for those who are being wronged or abused by the system. Michael had so much passion; there were times tears would stream down his cheeks as he talked about the mistreatment of incarcerated people. An environment — prison — submerged within the extremely high levels of toxic masculinity, moments like these are rarely seen behind these walls. But Michael never cared about that; because of his bravery, I learned it’s okay to show our emotions; that we’re not weak because we do so, but actually the opposite.
Michael was a father, a man who loved his family and longed to right the wrongs that had separated him from them. Unfortunately, our society doesn’t always see the development and change in those who enter our prisons and second chances are rarely given — Michael surely deserved one!
When I think of Michael in the future, I will draw from the passion I witnessed him display time and time again to carry on in the goals we both shared — fighting for those who often get overlooked and refusing to just accept something as a challenge because it’s too much of a fight. Michael showed me that life is hard, especially in prison where we are often disregarded as less than, but we must continue to move forward in a direction that aligns with our morals and values. Michael will be remembered and never forgotten or left behind — he will live in all of us who were blessed enough to cross his path.
Love and respect,
Christopher W. Blackwell
Christopher can be reached on Twitter at @ChrisWBlackwell or by mail at: Christopher Blackwell 813709, Monroe Correctional Complex, 16550 177th Avenue Southeast, Monroe, WA, 98272. This memorial was transcribed by MOL team member Frances Keohane.
From Mourning Our Losses:
“He was a father, a leader within the prison community, a proud Black man and a confidante to many.”
Chris Blackwell, the writer who crafted the moving memorial above, wrote these words about his friend Michael Cornethan in a Washington Post article titled, “Covid-19 is spreading wildly in prisons like mine. We should get the vaccine early.”
On November 21, 2020, Michael became the third incarcerated person to die of COVID-19 in Washington State. He was 62 years old and was incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, WA at the time of his death. According to a GoFundMe page organized by Kristin Bowling in Michael’s memory, some family members were just starting to re-establish a relationship with him and were working on a case for clemency.
“Michael’s family called him a gentle giant, soft spoken and very kind,” reads the page. “As a young person, he was his sister’s hero and guiding angel.” Michael leaves behind his brother Charles, a sister Vivette, his daughter Jannine, his son Jonathan, six grandchildren he never got to meet, a cousin Jerry, and many other relatives.
Very much loved and revered both within and beyond the walls, Michael will be missed dearly. “He will be mourned and fought for by families of Washington’s incarcerated and the social justice community at large,” the GoFundMe page read.
Indeed, after his passing, Michael was mourned and fought for by his family and the broader Washington community. The “Families of the Incarcerated” Facebook group held a town meeting in December 2020 over Zoom to express their concerns and fears for their loved ones behind bars. The group ended their meeting by lighting candles and observing a moment of silence for Michael and the two others who, at that time, had passed away behind bars in Washington state (a number which has since ballooned to at least 14 incarcerated individuals, according to The Marshall Project).
During the Zoom meeting, Cynthia Cornethan, Michael’s sister, shared that she felt as though her brother was not taken to a hospital quickly enough after contracting the virus at Washington State Penitentiary: “He wasn’t transported to the hospital until he was on his death bed.” Cynthia also advocated for her brother through other mediums, telling a reporter at YakTriNews, “They said my brother refused medical attention… I call bullshit!… he had never refused medical services and he has a lot of health issues. Once he tested positive he should have been taken to the nearest hospital.”
We stand with Michael’s loved ones, both inside and outside of prison, in mourning his passing and in demanding that health and government officials commit to the safety of everyone, those residing both behind and beyond bars.
This memorial was written by MOL team member Frances Keohane with information from an article by Christopher W Blackwell in The Washington Post, a GoFundMe page created by Kristin Bowling on behalf of Jannine Cornethan, and reporting by The Marshall Project and Monica Petruzzelli and Dru Miller of Yaktrinews.
To support Michael’s family, please consider donating to or sharing Michael’s GoFundMe page, “Memorial Funds & Justice for Michael Cornethan,” created in memory of Michael and with the purpose of seeking assistance to finance his cremation and remembrance, as well as to help alleviate the living expenses of Jannine, and her three children.