Transcriber: Delia Cohen Reviewer: Ellen Maloney
This next young man can lay down some very insightful words
when he puts his mind to it.
Please welcome my friend, Sherman Jackson.
(Applause)
January of 2007,
I was arrested and tried as an adult at the age of 17.
And it was during this time, leading up to my arrest,
that I was homeless, a drug addict, and ashamed of who I was
and the things that I had been through.
Now, this shame was so deeply rooted into my mind that I felt it necessary
to lie about my everyday personal life and experiences.
The things the average kid could say went on in his household
are the things that I lied about:
whether it was my mom telling me to have a good day
or my father telling me I couldn't go somewhere.
I even passed up on opportunities to excel in after school programs,
like sports and theater.
I let these opportunities pass me by
in fear that people would pay closer attention to my life,
and in turn expose me for the liar that I was.
It wasn't until I got arrested that my life slowed down,
the drugs wore off,
and the person that I was pretending to be disappeared;
and I was left with who I really was: a kid that was afraid and alone.
During my stay in Sylmar Juvenile Hall, I had the pleasure of meeting
Susan Cuscuna, Roberta Villa, and Scott Budnick:
three teachers part of an organization called "InsideOUT Writers."
It was during these writing classes that I not only learned
that I could write poetry, but that I could be my own therapist.
You see, Susan always pushed me to write about emotion.
And it is this element of writing that has helped me resolve
many issues in my life: past and present.
You see, people had always told me how to change, but it was the students
at InsideOUT Writers that showed me.
Once I became a member of this organization,
I no longer had to lie about family or change who I was to be accepted.
I just was.
So, it is my life experiences, and from those around me,
that have inspired me to write this piece entitled:
"The Youth in Today's Society."
Imagine the sounds of children laughing and playing.
Boastful stories in the creation of new sayings.
Now you would normally have to go to a park or a school
to hear these sounds, but I'm here to tell you
that I hear them every day on prison grounds.
This has become a harsh reality of today's society.
We've managed to make punishment instead of education a priority.
This nation is the only one of its kind;
yet it seems a little convenient that Lady Justice is blind.
Blind to our youth and their sorrow and strife,
yet quick to see their mistakes and punish them for life.
Just lock the door and throw away the key.
Let them live a life full of starch and TV.
Disregard what they could mean to our nation
and broadcast their shortcomings on your local news stations.
In doing this, we have traded in playgrounds for prison yards
and teachers for prison guards.
I was once one of the youth that I speak of now,
but despite being cast aside I've managed to turn my life around.
You see, my life was like a battleship, and I was getting ready to sink.
My mind swirled with thoughts so erratic, I couldn't think.
Glimpses of my short life flashed before my eyes.
Now, I see and think in a way that took near death for me to realize.
Realize that life is short and too precious to squander.
Now, I understand the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder."
For me, it's the absence of life, the absence of having kids and a wife,
having family that you love and depend on,
having friends that will never steer you wrong.
Being able to see the world in all its glory,
being able to have more than just a prison story.
These are the things that my heart yearns for.
These are the things on the other side of this prison door.
My life? It's not where I want it to be, but where it goes from here is up to me.
My life will not be defined by the bad choices that I've made or could make.
It will be defined by my willingness to give back more than I take.
So, no matter how great my sorrow or strife,
I will always take the time to live, love, and enjoy life.
So, this is my call to action to any and everyone who cares:
Find a kid in need and just find a way to be there.
When you call a kid a kid, mean it;
don't label them as an adult when it's convenient.
Don't give up or throw them away
because that's what made it possible for me to be here today.
Thank you.
(Applause)