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Female inmates break free with music
Choir allows women to be transported away from confines of Lee Arrendale State Prison
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Gospel choir members Wendy Fortner, left, and La’Sha Adams sing and play at Lee Arrendale State Prison for women. Through the choir, the two inmates travel outside of the prison’s walls to perform but guards accompany them. - photo by NAT GURLEY
With a pick and some plucks, Wendy Fortner soared above her surroundings, figuratively speaking. She no longer noticed the guards, the barbed wire fences or the khaki jumpsuit stamped with the words “state prisoner.” Instead, she closed her eyes, swayed back and forth, her fingers undulating as they teased the strings.