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September 2002
Guest Editorial: Building Bridges in Jail: Crossing the Divide, Empowering the Silent

By Mark Bekoff

 

 

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.

 


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