San Quentin’s Alliance for CHANGE. brought new meaning to the words social justice as its 2012 class graduated.
AFC is a program created to teach about social justice and its core goal is to prepare incarcerated men to re-enter society. In 2012, 13 San Quentin prisoners graduated from the program after attending sessions four days a week for four months.
“I would like to say we’re family; we want to break stereotypes. The work is hard in here but we’re doing it,” said Abdur Raheem, co-leader of the education section for Alliance for CHANGE. CHANGE stands for Creating Hope and New Goals Ethically, according to Malik Harris, the president of Alliance.
“I’m very proud of you men here today. From the beginning this was a tough class. I knew you all would graduate but many of you surprised me,” Harris said at the 2012 event.
Cleo Cloman, a graduate who has been at San Quentin for a year, said AFC taught him that he was a very important part of the community.
“I was living in my community but I was detached from it,” said Cloman, who has been incarcerated for 17 years. “That is what allowed me to harm my community.
Dr. Kim Richman, associate professor at the University of San Francisco, said the graduation was uplifting.
“You graduates have demonstrated a deep commitment to social justice and the community by sticking it out,” Richman said. “I’m proud of every single one of you.”
AFC’s founding members Ern Morgan and David Cowan — both parolees from San Quentin — attended the graduation.
Cowan said he was happy to see another class graduating.
“I hope that our being here gives people hope for the future that you can make it out there,” Cowan said. “The good decisions you plan to make have to start here.”
Morgan, who has been out of prison for 2 1/2 years, said transitioning out has not been easy.
“Days after I paroled to a transitional house, some of my property was stolen,” Morgan said. “I called my attorney and she said ‘You victimized someone; now you know what it’s like to be victimized.’ That was one of my turning points.”
Morgan, who was incarcerated for 23 years, said parolees are not necessarily prepared for some of the realities outside prison. He said if you do not have your mind straight when you go home, it can be hard to make that transition.
Morgan also advised the men to use Alliance’s Virtual World, an in-the-works program that will help acquaint prisoners with the online world.
The program will teach prisoners things like how to pay bills online and use credit cards and phones, according to Morgan.
“These are things you all will need to understand,” he said.
AFC aims to educate incarcerated individuals on social justice and its affect on their communities, Harris said.
“The goal is to inspire both men and women who have committed crimes to become anti-crime and anti-violence advocates,” said Alliance member Carlos Meza.
