by Dortell Williams
I arrived at Mule Creek in May of 2024, a little over a year ago. I immediately began looking for like-minded people. I wanted to run a Civic Engagement class here, as we did at Chuckawalla. I looked for guidance among the like-minded people I knew and was able to get enough guys to commit to a group at a table on the yard. I let the yard staff know what we were doing and invited them to check us out anytime. The group eventually grew to about ten people. Our gathering grew rapidly. I was getting nervous because staff think we’re grouping up in a negative way when too many of us gather together.
Thankfully, a couple of the Peer Support folks liked what I was teaching and invited me to teach in the Housing Unit Class space they were authorized to use. From October to January we had about 60 participants. Following that class we ran a Personal Development course, sponsored by Families United to End LWOP. That class covered topics such as anti-social behavior vs. pro-social behavior, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and time management, to name a few. Word began to spread.
Following that class we ran a creative writing course. I shared the fundamentals of writing to get published, how to write legislative support and opposition letters, a formal grievance, and letters to troubled juveniles through The Beat Within Magazine. Word spread and eventually we started writing to Humans of San Quentin, as a group. Like The Beat Within, Human of San Quentin appreciated the group submissions. The class was an overriding success with each person getting published at least once.
Each class typically runs 12 weeks, with an allowance of two unexcused absences. We start each class with a participant agreement: no cross talking, keep comments short, absolute confidentiality in our safe space; things like that. Another tradition of ours is to invite everyone to do a 10-15 minute presentation about themselves. This helps us get to know one another, but also practice public speaking in front of what we assure them is a supportive audience. No laughing, no teasing; when folks mess up we encourage them and give constructive feedback. We all know we have each other’s back. We build up, we don’t tear down.
This cycle we are running a debate class. None of us have ever done formal debate. We make our own group rules: 5-minute speeches, with 2-minute rebuttals. Each person argues for a topic, then argue against the same topic the following week. We will throw a spread at the end.
So, while it’s a competition, the main object is to practice critical thinking and public speaking. Everything else is designed for fun. It’s not that serious I remind folks. We’re just learning and feeding off one another.