Welcome back to the editorial pages of The Beat Within, where we are showcasing another couple of reflections from our amazing interns, students at the Urban High School of San Francisco. If you’re just joining us, we work with high school students to transcribe pieces that come to us through The Beat Without, a section of our magazine comprised of writing from primarily adults in various institutions around the state and beyond. This week we have Indy, who through his work with us, begins to recognize the many ways that oppression is woven into the lives of incarcerated individuals. We also have Dustin, who was inspired to construct his own definition of masculinity as he encountered the many writers who explored their identities and influences. We extend a huge thank you to Indy and Dustin, and to our partnership with Urban School.
Shedding Light
My experience with The Beat Within has been much more meaningful, inspirational, and profound than I originally thought. For the most part, each piece of writing I have transcribed has been incredibly insightful into the lives and thoughts of incarcerated people all across the United States. The array of topics and tones displays a wide variety of experiences and outlooks of those incarcerated. Each time I pick up a new piece of writing, I get this incredible window into a whole new world for me, and I hope that what I’m doing enables more people to view this same window. The writing displays multifaceted experiences and reflections. By reading and closely engaging with the text, I have been able to view prisoners in a less judgmental and negative light. I can truly see, through their writing, that their crimes do not define who they are as people and that everyone can learn from those incarcerated– their voices do matter.Â
Throughout my time transcribing, I’ve come across many powerful and inspirational pieces. One, in particular, stood out. A piece written by Larry Deminter was incredibly moving and eye-opening. The form of the piece allowed for a heightened appreciation of the content. The author starts by describing a powerful promise made to someone identified as “Tre.†As the writing continues, it becomes clear that Tre must be a profoundly influential and important figure in the author’s life. The whole piece is centered around this promise to Tre and the ways in which the author must avoid breaking the promise and keep to his word. The significance of the promise is only revealed in the last three lines when it becomes clear that Tre was murdered by the author. Once this is revealed, the entirety of the piece takes on a new meaning and a new understanding.
Overall, my experience working with The Beat Within has been eye-opening and meaningful for me. Each piece of writing that I transcribed expressed powerful and influential personal experiences and shed light on the way in which poverty, systems of oppression, and institutional racism has contributed to and continues to contributes to mass incarceration within the United States. It’s particularly interesting to me, that none of the pieces directly addressed these issues, yet they were startling examples of the ways these systems play out in individual lives.
-Indy, Urban School of San Francisco
What a Man Should Be
Before I had this experience with The Beat Within, like most people I did not have any expectations of incarcerated individuals. The common view around those who are in the prison system is that there are no expectations for them, since many believe that they have wasted their chances for a better future and will always be criminals.
Once I read stories from incarcerated Beat Within writers, I learned that time in prison can do just the opposite. Time in prison can allow a person to reflect on their past choices and identity and inspire change in them. While self-reflection might not change the things that these people have done, it changes their attitude about what they have done. They realize their faults, change their morals and identity and work to promote good in themselves and in others.
One man’s experience, Thomas Sheen, really exemplified this change to me. For Thomas, his agent of change was his discovery of Christianity and a higher power, which led him to seek help in support groups. Through hard work, dedication and passion, at 46 years old he boasts multiple Associate and Bachelor degrees from the college programs he enrolled in, completion of multiple vocational trades and a new man who carries different principles than he once did before: specifically, in his piece “Becoming the Man I Never Thought I’d Beâ€, he writes, “I have finally become the man I thought that I’d never be–a man of integrity, with a heart full of hope and love both for myself and for others.â€
These writers make evident that positive change is possible in anybody, even in the worst of conditions, and that one should never give up on themselves despite the mistakes they’ve made in the past.
Growing up in the environment I am in now, I learned that there are misinterpreted definitions of the male identity. What struck me in transcribing these letters was that many of these individuals who identify as men have had their own epiphanies about what it means to be a man, and that they have similar paths in forming their definition of a man. Many of the writers grew up with surroundings that wrongly influenced them and taught them the wrong definition of a man. However, as time moved on, through different eye-opening experiences each writer came to pretty similar conclusions about what it means to be a man.
Generally, each writer believed that a real man should put others first, have firm beliefs that he follows and to have good intentions for those around them.
As a young man myself who is still maturing, I was astounded at what each person experienced in their lives in order to reach what they believed masculinity was. I took to mind which parts of each definition resonated with me and was able to develop an idea of what a man should be, considering that I am not old enough to reflect on many years of my life. Through their writings, The Beat Within writers were able to give me a new understanding of my personal identity.
-Dustin, Urban School of San Francisco
Thank you Dustin and Indy! We truly hope that these essays have shed new light or helped reinforced in your beliefs how you see yourself and the work we are all doing to better ourselves
Enjoy this latest publication of writing and art. There is plenty of good reads inside. We hope you too will find new inspiration in your art and writing. Don’t hesitate to reach out if we can be of support. We’d love to hear from you!
For those of you curious about our art and essay contest. We are getting closer to picking our winners! We are now in the second round of readings and are still on task to announce our winners by mid-April! Thank you for your patience!
This issue goes out to Nipsey Hussle who was taken away from us this past week, March 31. For those of you who don’t know, NIpsey Hussle was an American rapper and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle initially became known for his numerous mixtapes. After much delay, his debut studio album Victory Lap was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success, and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019. Sadly, Hussle was murdered outside his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. RIP Nipsey Hussle.