Denise was born in Evanston & raised in Chicago.  She finds inspiration in her mother and deep joy in serving others, through her church and as an activist.  To Denise, being an activist means reaching out, working hard at helping someone who is unable to speak out for themselves.  

Denise’s son, Michael Carter, was tortured by Chicago police detectives and has been wrongfully incarcerated since 1999.  Denise heard her son being tortured at the station and was ordered by CPD officers to leave; they threatened to arrest her when she protested.  Michael currently has both a clemency petition filed with the Governor and an appeal through the State’s Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, and his case is back in the Cook Co circuit court.

Denise is a gospel singer and an Elder in her church, and describes herself as an overcomer. In addition to raising her own children, Denise is a primary caregiver to several of her nieces and nephews.  She is not afraid to speak her mind and is a fierce advocate for herself and her fellow MAMAS.

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"What better to have than mothers on the forefront- We are survivors and our kids are not alone. We're their backbone. We're their voices when they can't be heard. We scream when they can't scream and you can't hear them, so we scream for them so that you can. We're mothers.”
Denise Spencer

Meet the other MAMAS

April
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Armanda
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Bertha
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Christina
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Denice
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Esther
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Frank
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Regina
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Rosemary
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In The Media

View more
The Final Call

Torture, wrongful convictions and horrors suffered at the hands of second largest U.S. police force

July 19, 2022

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