My Favorite Color

This powerful episode of Ear Hustle centers on the emotional reunion of DeMonica Lewis and her father, Ula, after more than two decades of separation. DeMonica, incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, had grown up idolizing her father, who was in prison since she was six. Raised in a chaotic environment marked by gang life and family instability, she unconsciously followed in her father’s footsteps, believing that emulating his tough persona would bring her closer to him. Ula, serving a life sentence at San Quentin, had been unaware of the depth of his daughter’s struggles until she was arrested. The episode chronicles the year-long effort by the Ear Hustle team to arrange a historic video call between the two—something unprecedented in the prison system—despite bureaucratic hurdles, gang affiliations, and institutional resistance. The call, which lasted about an hour, was deeply emotional, with both sharing tears, vulnerability, and long-overdue questions like 'What's your favorite color?' and 'What do you like to eat?' The moment marked a profound reconnection, culminating in permission for them to write letters to each other. The episode underscores the transformative power of human connection, the lasting impact of parental absence, and the importance of persistence in creating moments of healing within a broken system.