As we embrace our 25th anniversary of this good work, it is only right to look back on how this all began. There are several moving parts that play a key role in The Beat Within’s success, besides the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center aka Youth Guidance Cntr (YGC), aka the “Mothership” for being so open to the idea of our weekly groups back in 1996. It was Marynella Woods, former social worker in the Public Defender’s Office Juvenile Division, taking a chance on our founder, David, way back in the early 1990s. It was also Jack Jacqua, cofounder of the Omega Boys Club, who took a strong liking to David, as he would embrace Jack’s hard work and advocacy ethic on behalf of the youth inside and outside of the San Francisco community. These two advocates were incredibly inspiring to David at that time, as he devoted many hours to working with them and most importantly the youth inside the hall. While he was learning and understanding the juvenile justice system, through his hard work and commitment, David slowly got a strong name for himself amongst the San Francisco juvenile justice community.
Fast forward some years, David meets Sandy Close, who was running the news agency, Pacific News Service (PNS). Through PNS, she had a number of Bay Area youth working at the service at the time, doing outreach, and writing and working on a new monthly publication called YO! (Youth Outlook). It was Sandy, who offered David a job being the educational director for YO! At the time it was an offer he could not refuse, but under one condition, that his connection and work with the good people and most importantly the youth in the San Francisco Juvenile Hall continue and that it did.
David slowly incorporated all the good things these three mentor colleagues brought to the table and it helped him. Along with the great support of the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department he confidently launch the first writing and conversation workshops in January of 1996, and from that point there has been no looking back.
The first 9 months of the program was solid and very consistent (which The Beat Within to this day prides itself in), but at times it was hit and miss. Not every session was a writing session, because at the time these sessions did not have a name and there was no The Beat Within publication. When the youth did write and we were able to get it published in YO! or a local newspaper, they were called, Letters From Lockdown. During the times we did not write, we would bring in guest speakers – authors, advocates, actors, poets, journalists, etc., to share and inspire the youth. We also always brought food and this went on for nine months…
…Until the murder of Tupac Shakur on Sept 13, 1996, David challenged the youth to write about what he meant to them as a rapper, a poet, an actor, and an activist. The writings were incredibly heartfelt and moving to the point that he knew upon walking out with these submissions, that he wanted to make sure all the youth saw what each other had to say. He went back to his office and typed up every single entry and with the support of Sandy Close, they both agreed to self-publish a newsletter which they titled The Beat Within, as they created that first issue on the death of Tupac Shakur. David was so impressed with this initial 6 page issue, that he added, “a weekly publication of writing and art from inside juvenile hall,” and for the next 15 years The Beat Within was just that, a weekly publication of writing and art from inside juvenile hall and beyond.”
The work was relentless at the time. Non-stop workshops, typing, editing and laying out the magazine. The Beat Within soon caught wind with other Bay Area County institutions, soon we embraced Alameda, Santa Clara, Marin, Santa Cruz and San Mateo County. The program was growing with excitement, as most of the youth embraced the opportunity to write and share each week in this one-of-a-kind publication. Also, with a little press, word was getting out and the demand to partner, collaborate and share the work was in order. David took on every request and soon this little 6/8 page weekly, was growing into a 60 to 80 and sometimes a 100 page weekly. David also stressed to the young people in the hall that once they left this institution, that they could still participate and write and that they did, since many of the youth were not only returning home and working with The Beat in the community, but heading off to Camps, the Ranch, group homes, rehab, youth prison aka CYA aka DJJ, and others unfortunately were going to the adult system; county jail and prison.
The letters and submissions began to pour in non-stop. To this day The Beat Within receives hundreds of letters a month from former juvenile hall writers, to those we have never met. They have an interest in sharing their stories, through art and writing. Due to these many letters, The Beat Within created The Beat Without (BWO) section within the back pages of the magazine, which is still a vital and popular section inside each publication.
There is plenty more to this story, but if you are reading this at this time, you get the gist of how The Beat Within got off the group and has become a lifeline and anchor for many young and old over the years. Everyone has a story and The Beat Within has done it’s part in creating a safe place to write and share, to teach and learn from others. Here’s to another 25 years! Here’s to this latest issue! Here’s to you readers and writers! Thank you all for the courage, love and support. The Beat Within is truly a team effort! Now allow us to pass the keyboard to OT, who will take this editorial note home.
We would like to welcome you readers to another double dose edition of the one and only The Beat Within. This is OT reporting live to you ladies and gentlemen from the land of the grand lakes and active volcanos, Yes, you guessed it, Nicaragua. First off I would like to extend a warm embrace to all you reading this and hope that you are all in the best spirits.
The holidays are not too far away, Football season is here, basketball is around the corner, and the baseball playoffs are here. I must admit that I do get nostalgic around this time of year. I miss my family more than ever, and I miss being out in the Bay Area. I wish I could just teleport and be right there at Pier 39, just looking at the damn Seals.
The Beat Within is heading into its 26th year of service. I want to acknowledge all the writers that have made this feat possible. All the young folks, from the past, all the way to the young folks of today. YOU. Yeah, I’m talking about you. I understand that sometimes it’s hard to write.
There are days where you don’t want to hear nothing but maybe a phone call to a loved one or maybe your girl/boyfriend, but I want to go ahead and take this little paragraph to encourage you readers to keep going and don’t stop. Even when you think about not wanting to say something, remember there are people like me, that look forward to reading your writing.
I read letters from the BWO Writers,( the adults that write to our community) giving shoutouts to a lot of you young readers and how much you inspire them. So your words hold power. Your words inspire others to get through their days. I know that when I have a bad day and I feel like kicking someone’s butt, or I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, reading a few of your pieces helps me reflect on my personal life and the decisions I’m about to make and it gives me a different view on life and the world. You guys inspire me to be better, to never settle for less, and reach for the stars.
You all inspire to strive for success and success on all levels. Success is not something you just achieve overnight. Success is not about just trying to accomplish one goal, in matter of fact, success is something that you have to reach everyday with your everyday goals. Look at rappers/singers, athletes, actors/actresses, lawyers, doctors, that make it to their profession, but end up in debt, or go bankrupt because they are not able to maintain their success. It’s hard to get there folks and it’s even harder to maintain it.
So success is not about being a one hit wonder or just becoming famous, or reaching the major leagues. Success is all about what you’re going to do after you reach your first goal. What’s your next one? What’s your goal after that? Success is not about just reaching ONE goal. It’s about reaching multiple goals.
After you reach one, you set another one and aim for that. You complete that one then, you make another goal and try to reach that one. No one needs to remain stalemate for the rest of their lives. We all want to excel and do positive things in our lifetime for ourselves, for our loved ones and our communities.
If you write one piece one week, try to write two next week. If you wrote two this week, write three next week and so forth. So, thanks you guys once again, for being so open and honest with your words. You are all an inspiration to not just me but to many others in our writing community that look forward to reading your words.
This one goes out to all The Beat Writers, from the counselors, to the OG’s, to all you young writers in lock up, or wherever you find yourself. Stay hungry, and when you reach for the stars, don’t grab just one, grab as many as you can! OT is signing out with all the love and respect to you ladies and gentlemen…and The Beat keeps going and going…