Ep 50: Bird Uncaged with Marlon Peterson
Click here for full transcript.
Bird Uncaged
Episode 50: Show Notes.
Welcome to another incredible story from At the End of the Tunnel! You might be wondering: what tunnel is Light always referring to? Well, your tunnel is that darkest moment in your life when you think all hope is lost. If you haven’t had your dark tunnel moment yet or you are currently working your way through one, these stories serve as reminders that, while these tunnels signal the end of a part of your life, they also signify the beginning of another. This next phase is often when the real you has an opportunity to shine through.
Today’s guest had his dark tunnel moment when he got caught up in an attempted robbery as a teenager and was facing life in the New York State prison system. Marlon Peterson also saw the light at the end of the tunnel, however, and struck up a letter correspondence with a teacher from his old neighborhood and her students. Because of everything he had been through in his life, he became uniquely qualified to offer these kids insight and wisdom into their issues, traumas, and “brokenness.”
With a renewed sense of purpose, Marlon went on to earn an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice with Honors. He also spent the last five years of his incarceration as the head of the Transitional Services Center, where he created programming and curricula for men nearing release from incarceration and spearheaded and designed an experiential work-shop for incarcerated men and college students.
Since then, Marlon has been named him one of America's 100 Most Influential and Inspiring Leaders in the Black Community by Ebony magazine, is an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar, a Fall 2016 TED Resident, and a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Soros Justice Fellowship. His TED Talk, ‘Am I not human? A call for criminal justice reform’ has over 1 million views and he is the best-selling author of Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist's Freedom Song.
He is also the host of the Decarcerated Podcast, an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity, and the founder and chief re-imaginator of The Precedential Group, a social justice consulting firm. Marlon’s story proves that there is hope at the end of any dark tunnel if you have the honesty and resolve to let your inner light shine.
Tune in today for a candid, challenging, inspiring and, ultimately, uplifting conversation with Marlon Peterson!
Key Points From This Episode:
Marlon reflects on his favorite toy as a child: an Optimus Prime action figure.
Hear about his relationships with his siblings and his upbringing in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
How Marlon learned to keep his feelings to himself, even when he was bullied as a child.
Ultimately becoming valedictorian at PS 138, despite how often he was beaten up or robbed.
The shame Marlon felt about being bullied in a society that expects men to be “tough.”
Why he says that the first time he felt love was when his older brother stood up for him.
Marlon explains why he didn’t have an idea of what he wanted to do when he grew up.
He speaks candidly about the sexual abuse he experienced at just 14-years-old.
How that traumatic experience distanced Marlon from his father and his faith.
How he was expressing himself creatively through a summer internship at the opera.
What his peers in Crown Heights were doing at the time; why he didn’t see the role models that were getting out and going to college.
Falling into the wrong crowd started with a new feeling of acceptance and brotherhood.
Learn about Nadia, who Marlon met when he was about 18-years-old.
In October 1999, Marlon participated in the robbery that would change his life forever.
The casualties as a result of the robbery, including the shop owner, who was killed.
How the police intimidated Marlon without an attorney or his parents present under the Manhattan Bridge.
Marlon talks about his first impressions of jail when he was detained in Manhattan.
Marlon shares what his mental state was like when he was facing a ‘natural life’ sentence.
Find out how he adapted to jail life and how basketball became a refuge for him.
Hear about the advice he received from his father about learning to become a man in prison.
Once he sat back and began to observe, Marlon understood that all prisoners were just people who had put themselves in bad situations.
Why creating a hard persona that helps you get by isn’t necessarily healthy or productive.
The beauty and the possibility he saw that led him to open up and connect with others.
The vow Marlon made during his trial: that he would be productive to himself, while he was in prison, and to his community.
Marlon is careful to note that he doesn’t credit prison for his transformation; it was all in him.
Why Marlon was forced to choose survival over his core values and intentions.
How he came to reconnect with Nadia, who had become a teacher, which ultimately turned into the correspondence program with her students.
Marlon credits everything he has achieved since he left his dark tunnel to the young people he was working with.
Becoming a disruptor in the prison system and developing his own programming for students.
How developing programs outside of prison was an extension of Marlon’s potential.
Learn how the physical and metaphorical cage of prison tries to maintain a hold on Marlon.
Prison doesn’t rehabilitate people; age and experience rehabilitate people.
How Marlon defines success these days: the ability to accept love.
Tweetables:
“I didn’t have a goal to be in any profession. When older people would ask, as they often do ask young people, ‘What do you want to be?’ I always said I would be a computer programmer. I didn’t know what it meant. It just sounded like a good [answer].” — @_marlonpeterson [0:24:27]
“That close relationship I had with my father, it became a deep chasm.” — @_marlonpeterson [0:31:05]
“When I was in jail, I would just think that they didn’t even need me to be there [for the robbery]. They didn’t need me to be there. They were about to leave me but, obviously, it ended in tragedy.” — @_marlonpeterson [0:42:39]
“If you don’t know who I am, there is no way for you to engage with me. I didn’t want anyone [in jail] to become familiar with me.” — @_marlonpeterson [0:54:15]
“When everyone around you is looking over their shoulders, it means nobody is trusting each other.” — @_marlonpeterson [0:58:03]
“In prison, I was who I was and I was committed to being who I was, no matter what weather. If it meant getting killed or otherwise, I was committed to who I was.” — @_marlonpeterson [1:09:15]
“When that young girl said, ‘Marlon, I see you as a hero,’ it was hard to understand initially. It was hard to understand why at the time. It’s why I’m so invested in young people, because they helped me and I’m there to help them.” — @_marlonpeterson [1:15:00]
“Even if you are out of the cage, it still struggles to maintain a grip on you.” — @_marlonpeterson [1:23:59]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: