Welcome Beat Contributors and Beat Readers! We’re proud to present to you our latest double dose edition of the one and only The Beat Within. Our magazine brings us the latest truths and honest stories from our beloved youth, and a sprinkle of knowledge from our adult contributors in our BWO Section.
They share great insight, knowledge and game. This week we are blessed to have two stupendous interns from Urban High School sharing their Beat Within experience. They have been helping us type and edit, to make sure we put out the magazine every other week.
We are fortunate to have our two savvy interns from Urban High School of San Francisco, share their thoughts on their experience. Our first intern Sophie writes about the importance of giving our youth a platform. Ione, has been really appreciative of the opportunity to hear our youth’s stories and perspectives.
We welcome their positive thoughts and well wishes. We hope they keep in touch and continue to be a part of our community. This is a must read! The floor is theirs!
My Final Thoughts
Within the first few weeks of volunteering for The Beat, I quickly realized the importance of transcribing these entries. My service learning teacher has said that doing in person service will give you the best experience. But I’ve found The Beat, a volunteer job that is solely virtual, to be the most rewarding service work in my high school career.
Reflecting on my transcriptions for The Beat last year, I noted that many of the entries felt deeply personal, with some moving me to tears. This year was no different.
Although many of the entries were short, they expressed emotions of grief, gratitude, and joy, among many others. Moreover, The Beat’s writing prompts always push their writers to be more observant of themselves and the people around them. Reflecting on stubbornness, some cited close friends and family members as being examples of how to act or how not to act. As a young adult who has never been incarcerated, I can only imagine the isolation that comes with their day-to-day routine.
Allowing writers to remember the love they have, even if those people aren’t physically present with them, feels important to me.
I also appreciated the writers who acknowledged the systems of oppression that affect their livelihoods. In one entry, a writer questioned who society frames as evil. They mentioned economic, social, and political elements that drive people to kill others.
A quote reads, “I don’t think we are born killers. I wouldn’t say it’s an action that stems from birth. But it’s something built into us.”
After transcribing the paragraphs on my bed, I stopped my fingers from typing and blankly stared at my computer screen for a while.
I began to wonder what factors in my life have stopped me from killing people or committing a crime in general. I wondered if committing a crime changes someone’s morality altogether.
I don’t think I’ve had a moment like that while doing other service work. The Beat really prompts you to think about the privileges you hold, and how those can dissolve in the blink of an eye. It also brings up privileges that can be uncomfortable to think about.
I have felt sad and even guilty when transcribing some entries, and that is okay. These entries reflect broader experiences of kids living in a cruel and unforgiving world. It is easy to judge what they say and how they say it, but difficult to consider the systems that have affected their world view.
I am thankful to have worked for The Beat in these past two years. It has motivated me to be more involved in my local prisons and connect with people in my communities.
Most importantly, it has taught me to practice empathy because you never know what people have gone through. I hope to engage in this type of work in college and beyond.
-Sophie
Thank You For This Opportunity
When I started working with The Beat Within a few weeks ago, I honestly had no experience or knowledge of the work that they are doing. I can’t say that I am extremely and fully educated on it, but I did learn something from the letters. I got the honor of transcribing.
I have always been a person who observes and listens more which is the reason I had interest in joining The Beat Within in the first place. While reading the notes I got sent for transcribing, they often made me think about perspective and how incarcerated people are often portrayed.
In the notes, especially ones where the writers got more vulnerable, it was a really powerful view into their emotions, thoughts and experiences that often get shut away and hidden.
I am lucky enough to go to a school that teaches me about perspective and the importance of learning all sides of the story. I’ve spent a lot of my time in school learning many things about the world, present and past.
During my work for The Beat Within it was one of the few times I got a more up front view of the things I learned. I think readings like the ones you do in classes, while very educational and important, can make everyone feel so far away and unconnected to you that it almost dehumanizes them.
So, getting the chance to learn about something new like The Beat Within is a more hands on way. It was something I greatly appreciated about this experience. I also was really grateful for them actually writing pieces I got to transcribe.
I think you can learn a lot from people who are given the ability to just write without judgement. You get to see raw reactions and emotions you may not understand someone is feeling and you get to hear it from them personally.
For all of those reasons, I believe no matter what is written in the notes, from something extremely vulnerable, to lighthearted and joking around. They are very powerful in the platform that they give and receive.
I am very appreciative of being able to be a part of this program even if it was for a short amount of time. I hope to volunteer and provide my time again! Thank you for giving me this opportunity!
-Ione
You heard it from our friends and allies how the honest writing in The Beat Within impacts their lives. We are so proud and humbled to amplify and share your authentic voices with the larger community. We thank you for bravely continuing to share your thoughts, dreams and challenges. This issue is no different, filled with some heartfelt writing and great stories. We hope you all enjoy and soak up the wisdom! The Beat goes on. Long live David Inocencio.