September
2002
Guest
Editorial: Building Bridges
in Jail: Crossing the Divide, Empowering the Silent
By Mark Bekoff
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As part of the Jane Goodall Institute’s (www.JaneGoodall.org)
Roots & Shoots program, I’ve been working at the Boulder
County Jail teaching inmates about animal behavior, conservation
biology, and
animal and environmental ethics. I never thought of this as a form
of activism per se until a number of people mentioned it in this
light,
because so few of my colleagues in my own (or other) disciplines go
to teach in jails, or most importantly to learn, from a group of
people
who are, for the most part, disenfranchised and silent. When I thought
about it I realized that working with people who are incarcerated
is
indeed a form of activism.
Roots & Shoots is about building appreciation and respect for animals,
people, and the environment. It originally concentrated on youngsters
but now there are thousands of groups for all ages in more than 70 countries
worldwide. A most important aspect of this program, and why it can be
thought of as a form of activism, is that it stresses that all individuals
matter—that the voice of each and every individual needs to be
heard. Thus, those who lead Roots & Shoots programs, strive to
empower participants. I always ask questions of individuals in my group
and
encourage everyone to listen carefully. It amazed me at how outspoken
and informed these men are about important issues. I never leave a
session
without having learned something that I carry with me as a university
professor and animal activist.
I’ve discovered that working with prisoners is a true joy, that
crossing the divide into a habitat in which I’ve never lived has
been an education for me. In my groups we talk about animal behavior
and spend considerable time discussing ethics—how humans should
interact with non-human animal beings and with the environment. Discussions
of sustainability rival those that I have in my university seminars
and debates about animal cognition and pain and ethics are informed
and moving. One of my former inmates has already formed a Roots &
Shoots group and now they are writing letters to youngsters, pointing
out the mistakes that they had made and stressing that jail just isn’t
the place where they want to spend time if they want to make a difference,
if they want to work for a better world. Their letters truly make me
cry—sincere outcries to try to make this a better world for all
beings, stressing the importance of the early environment and the importance
of love. A most important message that I always present when I adorn
my activist shoes is that you receive what you give, and we need to
add more softness and love to the world at large. Few, if any, of the
inmates with whom I work disagree.
My ventures behind bars have been incredibly rewarding and are one of
many forms of activism that can be very helpful for Earth. I also teach
in senior centers, and learn from people who have much wisdom about
what can be done to make this a better world for our children and theirs.
So, looking for something to do that many activists don’t? Go to
jail and be a major factor in empowering voices that all too often go
unheard. In this and many other cases, silence is not golden. We can
all learn from one another and we need to form bridges that carry messages
of hope, peace, respect, compassion, humility, and love. Activists are
called activists because they go out and do something. As the late Martin
Luther King, Jr. once said: “There comes a time when silence is
betrayal.” He was right. Silence and indifference can be deadly
for our animal friends and for Earth. Act now, build new bridges, cross
challenging divides. And, never say never, ever.
Marc Bekoff (http://literati.net/Bekoff)
teaches biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is on the
Advisory Board for the conservation organization, Sinapu. He has authored
or edited many books, including Strolling with Our Kin (Lantern Books,
2000), The Smile of a Dolphin (Discovery Books/Crown, 2000), and the
forthcoming The Ten Trusts: What we Must do to Care for the Animals
we Love (with Jane Goodall). He is co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (www.ethologicalethics.org).
To learn more about the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots
Programs, visit www.JaneGoodall.org
or call (301) 565-0086.
