“Orange is The New Black” star Danielle Brooks recently visited a real prison for the first time.
The actress, who plays Taystee on the prison-set Netflix show, went to Rikers Island earlier this week to meet with female inmates as part of the One Book, One New York initiative.
“She hadn’t ever been to a prison before,” a source told us, adding that Brooks wanted to come in and meet some of the inmates who participate in a book club there.
The One Book, One New York campaign aims to bring New Yorkers together by having everyone read the same book.
Brooks read part of “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to the women, which was followed up by a discussion about the book’s themes.
We’re told the inmates and staff “were really excited to meet her.”
Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin told us, “I was extremely moved by my visit to Rikers Island women’s library with Danielle. [She] has been supportive of One Book, One New York from the start and she shares our belief in the redemptive power of books and education.”