Welcome, readers and writers of The Beat Within! We’re back with another double-issue featuring your recent reflections, testimonies, and opinions on our weekly topics. You also may notice that this issue contains writing from earlier this summer, before we took a break from programming and publication to grieve the loss of our founder, David Inocencio. If you’ve been waiting to see your piece published, please know that it’s not lost! We’re working hard to make sure that we publish everything we received in June and July, and are aiming to get caught up to speed within the next couple issues.
Continue ReadingCategory: Editor’s Note
Editor’s Note
In July, The Beat Within announced with great sadness the passing of its founder and executive director, David Inocencio. Over the past six weeks, our Beat Within team has worked tirelessly to publish a special tribute issue of The Beat Within Magazine. In this issue, youth, David’s colleagues, former and current TBW participants, and community leaders shared their reflections on the impact of The Beat Within, David Inocencio, and the topic of grief. The issue was empowering and almost therapeutic, rallying our team to stand up and ensure that the beat goes on, as David always said. With passing the
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From The Beat: Community Announcement
To our community, It is with great sadness, and a heavy heart to share with you that our founder and director, David Inocencio, lost his battle with cancer this past weekend. Over the past few weeks, David was surrounded by his family, colleagues, and close friends, as we celebrated his life and his many incredible accomplishments. For the past twenty-seven years, David has anchored our collective strive toward liberation through the power of testimony. He was—and still remains—loved and cherished across the nation for his leadership. The profound influence that David had on all of us reaches far beyond life itself. For
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.21/22
Welcome back to our Beat Within readers, writers, colleagues, and teachers. For this issue, we’re bringing you reflections from Camillia and Daisy, two of our interns at Urban High School in San Francisco, CA. It’s been such a pleasure to continue fostering this partnership, where the students of Urban have made a huge impact on The Beat over the course of their spring semester, transcribing the wide range of writing that becomes published in our pages. Thank you, Camillia and Daisy, for your time, your dedication, and for sharing our mission to uplift the voices of incarcerated youth and their
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.19/20
Greetings to our Beat writers, readers, and community members. We’re thrilled as always to bring you our latest publication of The Beat Within. Every other week when our issue goes to print, we’re in awe of the writing and testimony that comes forth from each person we have the privilege to publish. This issue brings lots of great writing on tough times, dealing with stress, how we define justice, finding hope, and honoring the special women in our lives. Our editorial note for this issue comes from our Managing Editor, Simone Zapata, who has been connected with The Beat for
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.17/18
Hello to our Beat Within readers, writers, and community members. We’re here with another stellar issue of this publication, made possible by the hard work and passion of the many writers, volunteers, and editors that we’re blessed to know and collaborate with. We’re always in awe of the depth, vitality, and authenticity we encounter each week by engaging with the work of our youth. This issue’s editorial note comes from our Program Associate, Alyssa Maanao, who has hosted workshops all over California, and currently is the lead facilitator for Sacramento County, as well as does many other things to keep
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.15/16
Greetings friends! Forgive the delay with this latest issue, as we welcome you to the latest Beat issue 28.15/16! Yes, we had a couple of glitches over the last couple of weeks, but we are now working to get back on track. This latest 76-pager is full of great writing and we tip our cap to many of you solid contributors who step up each week in our weekly workshops to share your truths, your art, and all your ideas that give hope and inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, big props to you writers who have earned the privilege to have
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.11/12
Greetings friends…. Here we are embracing the last days of March, with Spring in the air, as we go into the month of April. Plenty happening in our world, and we can only hope life is treating you and your loved ones well. Remember to take the time to show some love to the ones you care about the most. This week we have OT back in the pages of the editorial note. We welcome you readers back to another powerful edition, 28.11/12, of The Beat Within. This is OT reporting live to you from the hot volcanic rocks and
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.09/10
Welcome back friends to another amazing issue of The Beat Within. This latest issue, 28.09/10, is packed with plenty of stellar submissions that will truly inspire and give hope to us readers. We are quite impressed with all of you writers who embrace this opportunity to write and share a part of yourself through our weekly writing prompts. Young and old, you all have plenty to say, and this platform, which has been embraced for over 26 years, is essential in our efforts to touch lives and make a small difference in our community and hopefully beyond. Thank you all
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.07/08
Greetings Here we are, late February 2023. It is very hard to believe how fast time is already flying by… Where does the time go? One minute we’re preparing for the holidays, completing our year-end issue, and winter break, and the next minute we are embracing the early days of 2023, and now the month of February, with March around the corner. Wow! Hard to believe this amazing double issue, 28.07/08, is completed and ready for your eyes. Usually, you get to hear from our friend, OT, in this editorial note, who is always amazing with his stories and updates,
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