by Bobby Bostic As I sit and meditate on the many mistakes that I have made in life, I contemplate on the advice that I would give my younger self. Then again, I wonder would he listen? My fourteen , fifteen or sixteen year old self thought he had it all figured out. He rebelled against adults, because in his young mind they didn’t know what there were talking about. How could they, since they couldn’t see the world through his eyes. Ironically, now that I am older I see things differently. When we are young we somehow put it
Continue ReadingYear: 2019
How Not to Feel
by Michael Cabral He broke my heart. After that night I’d see him act the same bewildering way many more times. It was, I eventually learned, what too many beers did to him. But the first time my uncle hit me (I was four or five years old), all I knew was that something had changed. Not in him. No. something had changed in me. I was named after my Uncle Mike, and that already made me feel close to him. When he started calling me his “Bodyguard,” though, and especially when he’d introduce me to people that way (“This is
Continue ReadingRegret, Reconciliation, Repetition
by Elías People find it difficult to admit fault. We would rather receive an apology than apologize for our own wrongdoings. It is a position of power: having the ability to forgive someone or not, rather than being at the mercy of another, in a vulnerable position. We all wish we could take back certain decisions. I do, frequently. The situations I could have handled differently keep me up at night, but I try not to let them eat me alive. My father’s death was different: it continuously creeps up on me. The weekend of his death, a Saturday,
Continue ReadingVolume 24.17/18
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 24.17/18
Welcome friends to another outstanding double issue, 24.17/18, of The Beat Within. This week our dear friend and colleague, Alyssa Maano, sent us a powerful editorial about her connection to The Beat Within and the late rapper, Nipsey Hussle, who sadly was taken from us way too soon. We really appreciate her heartfelt message, as much as we appreciate her immense dedication to the workshops she leads inside the Sacramento County Juvenile Detention Facility. Thank you, Alyssa! About five years ago, I began my journey with The Beat Within. I was about 21 years old and had been sick
Continue ReadingNever Too Late To Change
by Alexis Pamiroyan To all of you teenagers spread out in juvenile halls, group homes, and other facilities across the country, you hold something within yourself that you may not be aware of. You hold “The Beat within Yourself” that is screaming to be heard and NOW is the time to pay attention to what it is exactly saying to you and the world around you! In just six simple words to you, it’s never too late to change! I know that you are sitting there locked away or removed from the place that you call “home,” and you are
Continue ReadingUnstoppable
by Charlie What does unstoppable mean to me? Well, it means nothing can stop you from doing what you’re doing, as in my persona. I believe I’m unstoppable because no matter what I do or in what I participate in, if I fail or succeed, I will try again. In other words, nothing or no one will stop me from trying to reach my goals because I am unstoppable and I always will be. No matter what happens in my life or what happens around me, I will not stop for a second. All I’ve ever been told in life
Continue ReadingVolume 24.15/16
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 24.15/16
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
Continue ReadingI’m Mad, Open Your Eyes!
by E I am mad at myself for not doing what’s right. I’m mad that every time I say I’m going to change, something comes up and it ends up going sideways. I am mad that I lie to myself and to my parents about leaving this lifestyle, but I don’t realize until I’m behind these walls. I’m mad that I can’t do what’s right. I mean, I know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, I just act like I can play the system. But let me tell you that that’s the only thing
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