After Rosanne Cash’s visit, Spoon Jackson receives an opportunity to speak to troubled youth from within prison.
A guard who was one of Rosanne Cash’s escorts at the second coming of Cash to Folsom Prison, came up to me as I sat in front of the art room playing the flute and asked, would I be interested in doing a video for troubled youth. I had remembered this guard from the show and he told me how much he liked the poems I had read for Ms Cash. I was silent for a few moments as the guard continued: “The video would be presented for continuation school students. Students that had gotten kicked out of regular school.”
I could relate to that, I had been kicked out of regular school and had to attend continuation school as a youngster.
The guard asked, “You are not in a gang, are you?”
“That is correct, don’t believe in them,” I replied. “I am open to inspiring young folks not to join gangs, or let go of gang banging.” The guard assured me the video would not be exploited by media or used by the Department of Corrections to put down prisoners.
I sensed the guard asked from a real and honest place in his heart and soul. I was cool with that, and I agreed to do the video.
Read more:
School Suspension, Race and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
I Come From: Three Essays from Venice High School Students
This was previously published on the Spoon Jackson Realness Network.
Image credit: National Assembly For Wales / Cynulliad Cymru/Flickr