A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tag along for an auspicious gathering at San Bruno Jail in San Francisco. Kazu Haga (here's his Awakin Call), who runs East Point Peace Academy, was leading a graduation ceremony for some men in the jail. That in itself is a rare occasion, but this ceremony was for a rare feat - completing a course curriculum (theory & practice), while in jail, on the nonviolent approaches of MLK Jr - or what is called 'Kingian Nonviolence.'

Kazu himself is a rare individual (I'd recommend listening to the Awakin Call), having done spirit walks with monks, devoted his life to nonviolence, and choosing to live in the spirit of gift. And he greets me with open arms despite not having seen me for years :) We walk in through the security, and my eyes are opened as it's my first visit to a jail facility. The layout of the building is not like what I had imagined, with the orange jumpsuits of the men striking a strong contrast with the more modern look of the place.



The ceremony was powerful to me, with 3 men sitting in front and about 50 more watching. Most were less than 30 years old. Most were men of color. None felt threatening. The ceremony ended with Kazu sharing passionately about one of the students in the program who didn't graduate, because he didn't survive. He was in tears in a place where one who cries can quickly become a target. "I always try to feel when I am in a jail, and I don't mind crying - because you never know who you are crying for in a place like this." Kazu was always clear and to the point, and his vulnerability came across as strength to me - perhaps an inspiration not just for me, but also for those who could not leave after the ceremony.

The graduates, each going through a program called Peace From Within, dripped of a gratitude of self-discovery. Of engaging with conflict situations in their life and having new tools for addressing it. Of facing the trauma they have experienced, and healing it. Of understanding the broader systems context that landed them in their situation, and feeling part of a community that is transforming it. In fact, the keynote graduation speaker was a man who had been in the same jail only a couple years ago, and was now supporting a movement of change from the outside.

After the ceremony's completion, we all had the opportunity to break bread over lunch. What I consider a standard meal is hard to come by in this circumstance. Kazu mentioned at another one of these lunches, they served burritos, and one of the men mentioned that he hadn't had a burrito in 4 years. For this reason among others, if you go to a jail to serve food, you serve everyone, not just the graduates.

During lunch, I had the opportunity to sit with one particular gentleman who shared about his experience. A promising football career, 3 children, then an injury and a bad decision. He was planning on joining a future session of Kazu's class, and mentioned he had already been touched by the movement of nonviolence. He then leans over, and starts sharing, almost in a whisper, of the magic of random acts of kindness :) How one day, upon entering his cell, he finds potato chips, a cookie, and a small card with 'Smile' written on it! He's since been involved with sharing those cards and acts within his 'pod' of 50ish men. He mentioned how the design of the system he is in invites a culture of 'each man for himself' - and yet, even in this context, he saw a change as these kinds of approaches are available and experimented with.



Whether tiny acts of kindness, or deep journeys of trauma healing, I was moved to see how the practices of inner transformation may be available in any context. And while I mourn the circumstances that led to the designs we currently have in place, I'm heartened to see and act on approaches that leave all parties involved feeling more whole, more in community, more engaged with their own evolution.