J267 Race, Resistance, and Incarceration

The Race, Resistance, and Incarceration class will take place at San Quentin Prison. It will place incarcerated students at San Quentin next to Cal students in a former workshop now a classroom. The Inside Out concept has obvious benefits for the incarcerated, “You know, sitting in a classroom environment and not being in any type of threatening environment with them standing over us, and just being able to talk. That’s something I’ve never had,” said one incarcerated student. But what about the CAL students? What are the benefits for them? For the past ten years, I’ve been taking Berkeley students to San Quentin Prison. Their responses have been overwhelmingly positive. They say the experience was life-changing.

The class will meet at San Quentin Prison, Building B (formerly the crafts center), San Quentin, CA 94964. Tuesdays 3-5. The meetings at San Quentin will take place for eight weeks from the beginning of September until the beginning of November. Each student will be required to submit a number of documents in order to be cleared into the prison. The documents require your social security number and driver’s license. You will also be required to get a TB test. Visitors must adhere to guidelines on dress and behavior. WE NEED TO CARPOOL. It’s a 35-minute drive from North Gate Hall to San Quentin. The Berkeley students will meet a second time weekly on campus, Mondays 2-3 p.m. Location TBD. These meetings on Monday will continue from the beginning of September until the end of the semester.