You weren’t seeing things. That really was the actor from the “Lethal Weapon” movies crossing the yard at San Quentin.
Veteran actor Danny Glover was the latest celebrity guest to visit the state’s oldest prison.
On June 8, 2015, Glover walked into the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG) in the middle of their class.
“I was surprised about how personable he was and how I instantly felt comfortable around him. I was deeply touched by his compassion and his outlook on humanity. I feel he has outstanding human qualities that simply amazed me,” said VOEG member Thomas “Tommy” Hobson.
VOEG instructors Bonnie Willis and Kashka Banjoko brought the actor to San Quentin’s H Unit, with the special assistance of Community Partnership Manager Steve Emrick.
As brother and sister, Willis and Banjoko are both longtime friends of Glover dating back many years.
After being greeted with handshakes and hugs, Glover sat in a small circle with VOEG members and opened himself up to conversation, as if he had known them all for years.
He discussed personal issues such as his battles with dyslexia, confronting and conquering fears, philosophical yoga, metaphorical wisdom, abolishing the death penalty, and how listening to John Coltrane and doing Pilates helped him play the role of a serial killer.
“I did a movie called ‘Switchback’ in 1995. I played a serial killer. To get into the role, I started doing Pilates. While doing Pilates, I would listen to ‘Equinox’ by John Coltrane. I began to gain full confidence in the role. To become the serial killer, I had to transform myself into character. I owned the moment,” said Glover.
It was stories like this in which Glover shared his unorthodox way of script reading and becoming one with characters as techniques to compensate for being dyslexic. These methods, which he calls “my hidden secrets,” enable him to connect with his fears and build confidence.
“Because I’m dyslexic, I used to be embarrassed to read in class. To this day, I need to physically feel a book when I read. I need to physically experience a scene to memorize it,” said Glover.
The methods employed by Glover to deal with his shortcomings fit in perfectly with the curriculum and techniques taught in the VOEG class, a program committed to transformation and social justice.
With “insight” as a guiding principle, VOEG members develop self-awareness skills to process their own shortcomings, such as effectively dealing with difficult emotions.
The development and use of such practices as mindful awareness, emotional intelligence and critical self-reflection can produce a change of heart in how a person reacts or responds to a situation.
The philosophy and methodology of VOEG encourages members to make better conscious choices before thinking, feeling and acting.
“One way to overcome our fears is to build confidence in self,” said Glover.
“Even though I’m older with a hip and knee injury, I still try yoga. I do it because it builds my confidence to move normally.”
Most famously known for his starring role in movies such as “The Color Purple” and “Lethal Weapon,” Glover is less well known for his role in private life as a philanthropist, humanitarian, activist and advocate.
Glover is an ambassador for UNICEF and a leading advocate in promoting the abolition of the death penalty in the United States.
“I met Danny 47 years ago while we were both students at San Francisco State. We were both part of a Black Studies program – the first in the country at any university,” said Banjoko.
His work on-screen and off screen is as impressive as is his personality.
“Danny Glover is a great inspiration for me. The things he taught me about overcoming fears is something I’ll always remember,” said VOEG member Maurice Gipson.
Glover told VOEG members that he is no stranger to the penal system.
“I grew up in the Army Street projects in San Francisco… I have brothers who’ve been to prison before. I remember my mother use to get mad when she had to miss church on Sundays to go visit my brothers in Vacaville and Tracy (both state prisons),” said Glover.
VOEG members praised Glover’s humbleness, honesty and his friendly next-door-neighbor demeanor. “He was surprisingly down-to-earth,” said VOEG member DiJon Newton.
“It is a very heartwarming experience to be friends with him,” said Bonnie Willis. “He is very gracious. He is very magnanimous. He is so real. He’ll walk in your house and go straight to the refrigerator talking about, ‘what y’all got to eat in here?’”
