A Different Path! – by Reginald Smith
One week ago, Joe whispered that he wanted to talk with me before Sunday service started. We walked into the secretary’s office and Joe handed me a white piece of paper, covered with website addresses. He told me that finding a job has been hard because of his prison record. He had done his time, ready to begin a new chapter in life. Joe, who comes from Oklahoma, told me that he felt people, especially the government, were watching him. I thought Joe was paranoid and I needed to prepare for the service. Joe insisted his phone was tapped, people spied on him, and everyone disregarded his pleas as crazy and delusional. I listened to Joe, as his hands gestured wildly in telling his story of fear and the sense of betrayal by his own government. Joe’s words raced at warp speed, trying to get every word in before I had to cut him off. When Joe finished his story, he asked me the crucial question: do you believe me? I did not know how to respond. If I responded with suspicion, I dismissed him as another kook with a lame conspiracy theory to justify his past deeds. If I accept his story as truth, it gave him a sense of sanity that his story matters even if the details aren’t as accurate for my threshold of truth. Joe stands as an example of an African American male, shattered by the emotional, sociological, and spiritual damage of the American prison system. What path must the church take to build a better Joe? Two things: promoting the value of education and building an army of mentors.
Cynthia’s essay sounds the alarm about our prison system and its harsh implications and effects on the mind, body, and psyche of African Americans. Racism does play a role in hampering and distracting our eyes from the subversive yet destructive messages of “driving while black”. How big a role race plays continues to be debated in the academy, political circles, and church pews. Are there other ways to raise the church’s awareness to the problems of race and class disparities in our broken prison system? I will take the early restorative approach. This approach argues for preventive care and pursuing positive means in addressing the complexities of the problem by not wringing our hands or entering into shouting matches.
The problem of race has been ingrained in our American fabric. One of the weapons in fighting racism was education. Cynthia eluded, in her essay, more dollars are spent on locking people up than educating them. She pointed out NAACP research supporting the premise that “increased funding for prisons and decreased funding for school.” What if we, the church, re-engage by getting young people mentored by older adults? According to a recent University of Georgia study, poor African American young people who were mentored got into less trouble and were more hopeful. Professor Steve Krogan, who headed the study, said, “If you have someone special outside of your family that helps you set goals and maintain self-control, you can compensate for difficulties in your own life.” (upi.com/Health_News/2011/05/14/Black-youth-have-less-trouble-if-mentored/) In other words, we must attack the problem of race and class at much younger ages than before. Coming alongside young people costs less than prison! The church has a long tradition of valuing education. We, the church, must continue to be on the side of restorative justice from cradle to grave.
In a similar study, the University of Illinois found that African American and Hispanic males overcame the barriers of race, class, and the pervading stereotype of avoiding higher education when family and other males encouraged them. The study concluded, “having family members and other adults who nurtured their educational aspirations from an early age, who affirmed education as a family value and a priority, and encouraged their commitment to academic achievement, helped them when they faced racial/gender stereotypes or social relationships that conflicted with their aspirations.” (upi.com/Science_News/2011/05/11/Values-peers-help-minority-students/). In other words, education is a viable option before prison! Before entering into the vast wasteland of poverty, mental illness, and fighting the system set up against them, we can build an army of mentors, families, and church members who take education young African American males seriously. I want to advocate a path that young African American can make the choice of not going to prison! This is restorative justice!
Cynthia argued, “Jesus had a least one more thing to say…Be not afraid…” I agree with our Lord’s clarion call to boldly go to those future Joes of the world before they become like him. Let the church not be afraid to choose the path less taken! The church has quietly and faithfully helped young African American males make choices that snatch the money right out the warden’s hands. What if we practice restorative justice that keeps our young men from becoming a statistic? Let’s not be afraid to mentor our young men and promote the value of education as a matter of justice. That we can do right now!