Gazette
Prison Made: A Status to Be Proud Of
Uplift, Educate, Empower and Promote
Psi Phi Omega Fraternity, Inc.
By Sir Kendrick Roberson
I have no problem telling anyone that prison made me the man I am today. Not the most flattering
thing anyone would want to hear (especially employers) but, it is all too true. I have seen and heard
things no man would ever dream of. I have lived in a world that people only talk about. Through it all,
I now have a place in life. I now have a status that my family, my friends, my brothers, and myself, can
be proud of.
In 2000, at the age of 14, I would spend the next ten years of my life in prison for 5 counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, 5 counts of Criminal Restraint, and a count of Battery on a Law
Enforcement Officer. Now, I cannot tell you that growing up I was an angry child. I couldn’t tell you
that my parents didn’t care, that I smoked or that i did recreational drugs because then I’d be lying. I
had parents who were strong disciplinarians that taught me the value of education, that didn’t shelter
me from world but taught how not to be a part of it. I had parents that showed me why doing drugs
were wrong. I got plenty of attention and was borderline spoiled. I had family that was deeply rooted
in the church and made sure I was there every Sunday giving my God all the honor and praise.
THEN WHAT CAUSED ME TO BE SO BAD??
Absolutely nothing. I was never, nor am I now, a “bad” person. I was defending myself. The one
time in my life I genuinely thought that my life was in danger, I made a decision: ME or HIM? I chose
the latter.
But, life didn’t end for me there. Nor did it end for me when the judge told me I would never see
the light of day. I knew that I had to be above the hype and keep myself from becoming another statistic. I had to prove my worth. My education proved to be my biggest asset while incarcerated. An
alarming 65% of the prison population does not have an education level higher than that of your average 4th grader. Street savvy; I co uldn’t hold a candle to most of them but, when it came to academics,
I was Big Brother. I spent my time teaching other brothers how to read and write letters, how to speak
proper grammar, and the occasional “be-my-jailhouse-lawyer”. It encouraged and inspired me to push
myself even further. I had nothing but time. Spanish is the second largest language spoken in prison
and I wanted to be “in the know”. Through books provided by the library and Spanish speaking inmates, I would come to speak and know Spanish fluently. I also took up learning sign language. I
leaned about correspondence schools that offered degrees by taking courses through the mail. I
hopped on the opportunity earning my Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and later on Associates
in Psychology/Sociology.
I went in as a 14-year-old boy and came out a 24-year-old, college educated black man. I continue
to defy the odds. It is estimated that over 70% of ex-cons return to prison on some type of parole or
probation violation within the first year they are out and by the 2nd year 90 percent. Gentlemen, I’ve
been out of prison now for 4 years and I don’t plan on going back. I have a status to live up to. I AM
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER. To be my brother’s keeper, I have to also keep myself; keep myself out of
trouble; keep myself motivated; keep myself on the path that a good “BIG BROTHER” is supposed to.