“A Theory of Change” is a feature documentary in development that follows the life story of Rhidale Dotson and his remarkable endeavors toward transformative justice within the prison system. Dotson has served 25 years of his life sentence without the possibility of parole, and he urges us to name this inhumane sentence “Death by Incarceration” (DBI) since he is sentenced to die within prison walls. 

Rhidale’s story is grounded in his present-day fight for liberation while relying on his grassroots organization to expose his story to the world. The film briefly examines his youth before incarceration and family history, as well as the series of violent and brutal conditions of imprisonment that lead Dotson to uncover his purpose as a change-maker and create a series of programs that harness the personal potential of incarcerated individuals. His story lends way to larger academic expositions of dismantling the legacies of slavery and colonization that underpin systems of mass incarceration while highlighting the often overlooked struggles of families impacted by incarceration.

A Theory of Change's shared purpose is to build collaborative, non-exploitative relationships to generate and organize political power for collective liberation with historically oppressed future leaders through equity principles, edu-tainment, leadership training, and acts of love.

Co-directing & Producing with Kashmiere Dotson

Rhidale Dotson’s website:

https://rhidaledotson.com/

Substack:

https://substack.com/@atheoryofchange

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/atheoryofchange/

If you would like to get involved or have any questions, please reach out at atheoryofchangefilm@gmail.com