Henry Frank: Art & the 21st Century Man

Bill Cleveland: 00:00:06

From the center for the Study of Art and Community. This is Change the story, Change the world. My name is Bill Cleveland. This episode is called a 21st century man.

As such, you may be asking, what is a 21st century man? Well, there's a story going around that a new male model has emerged.

A domineering manifest destiny means justify the ends, sharp elbows, kind of a guy who knows what he wants and just takes it. But I've got news for you.

This new model, this fresh, manly script is just a boring, rusty remake of a remake of a remake with a plotline we all know too well. Mainly because we're all living with its consequences. But don't despair.

There are other stories rising up of men who wield the power of compassion, forbearance and humility. Men whose strength comes from knowing that there are no superheroes and that our true superpowers come from our collective toil and our imaginations.

This week, we're going to share one of those stories. Like many of our shows, it's an inspiring saga that comes from an unlikely place.

A place that many who live there refer to as Kew that is appropriately named after the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes. A rough place where those strutting, proud toy boy wannabe soldiers would find shrivel inducing to say the least.

And yes, a place that most outsiders know simply as San Quentin.

In this story, we revisit the extraordinary journey of artist and cultural leader Henry Frank, a returned citizen whose life has been transformed by art, community and culture.

This special episode features two previous conversations with Henry exploring his evolution from serving a life sentence at San Quentin to becoming a celebrated artist and teacher through the William James Association's Prison Arts program. Part one. I Refuse to die in Prison.

Bill Cleveland: 00:02:34

Imagine yourself as a lifelong gang member.

Bill Cleveland: 00:02:37

With a 29 year to life sentence.

Bill Cleveland: 00:02:40

Rotting away alone at San Quentin Prison.

Bill Cleveland: 00:02:44

Expecting to die there.

Bill Cleveland: 00:02:47

That's pretty depressing.

So let's now imagine you change the channel and find yourself in an alternate universe as a proud cultural leader, a respected artist and educator whose depth of wisdom and experience is recognized by your community as essential to its health and vitality. I'm sure you would agree that these two stories couldn't be more different.

And given the change the story theme of this podcast, you've probably guessed these are in fact two parts of the same story. In our episode six, world renowned book.

Bill Cleveland: 00:03:22

Artist Beth Thielen said this about her.

Bill Cleveland: 00:03:25

Students at San Quentin.

Beth Thielen: 00:03:26

These people that I meet in my classes, they have a whole generational span of experiences in prisons. And they meet it with a courage and a generosity and a strength.

And it's these people who are living in this horrible situation and have for such a long time that are adapting to where we need to go faster than the rest of us.

They are like any species living at the edge of sustainability, where there's adaptation occurring, where there's mutations occurring that allow them to adapt and change. And these people bring so much imagination to last.

And for me, that's our way that we have to go if we're going to solve our problems with the environment, prisons, if we're going to solve our problems with how we do our communities. Post so for me, the hardships they have endured give us a way to our future if we can accept and not be afraid of the hard knowledge they've won.

Bill Cleveland: 00:04:49

This episode's guest, Henry Frank, was one.

Bill Cleveland: 00:04:52

Of the incarcerated artists Beth so eloquently.

Bill Cleveland: 00:04:55

Describes in that clip.

He also lived both chapters of the story that started us off rotting in prison alone, with no hope of leaving and living in what we call the free world. Making his mark along with the rest of us, sharing what he has learned along the way.

In our conversation we touch on the important milestones of that journey, the heavy lift of imagining a different future, becoming an artist, discovering true friendship and embracing his Yuruk and Pomo cultures.

So Henry, let me begin by asking you how you describe your work in the world, your mission, in a sense, your path, particularly to people who aren't really familiar with what you've been up to.

Henry Frank: 00:05:42

I'm Henry Frank and I'm calling from Nevada in California, and I am currently on the ancestral lands at the coast Miwok. I also happen to be the board president for the Museum of the American Indian here.

And so I got to really engage and learn about the people that were here and myself.

Well, I'm Yurok and Pomo from Northern California and I have that connection of that spiritualness when I go to a new place and offer my tobacco just to introduce myself. Other than that, I work for the William James association as the program's communications assistant and then also as an artist instructor now.

And so how I describe myself is, or the work that I do in the world is an influencer, a contributor to give visibility to the Native American and currently incarcerated and formerly incarcerated as myself, I spent 20 years on a 29 to life sentence.

At one point, you know, just thought I was going to die in prison and I accepted that as my fate and I never thought about getting out, never dreamed about what it would be like to get out and start a family and working and all. And then one day, my friend Arlis was coming out to yard with me, and it was in San Quentin. We were on the upper yard, and we're. He was looking out.

I was just looking down at the grounds. That's where we have our sweat grounds. And he said, wow, what about those deer hen? And what are you talking about? PBS last night.

What are you talking about? He's all, no, right out there. Look out there. Why don't you look out there? He's like, you don't see those. And there was a big old buck and two does.

Clearly you can see them. And I'm like, well, that's cool. He said, how can you not look out there? And he's like, for an intelligent man, you are sure a dumb mf.

And I was like, what? He's. I don't understand you. You take all these college courses, you take all of these south pal groups, but yet you can't see yourself out there.

And he stopped. We stopped the middle of the steps, and he looked at me and he said, henry, look at me.

Henry Frank: 00:07:42

And I'm like, yeah.

Henry Frank: 00:07:42

He's like, if you can't see yourself outside these walls, you'll never be outside of these walls. And it took me about two weeks with just soul searching and some sweat lodge ceremonies in there.

And it connected me back to when I first got incarcerated. And I cut off my family in my mind because I was protecting them.

But really, I didn't want them to embarrass me or shame me and all that stuff from what I was doing. But when I got incarcerated, my family is the one that came to my. To my side.

And my father sent me this book called Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by, I think, Napoleon Hill. Anyways, inside it, there's.

There was all kinds of great nuggets, but one of them that stuck with me was whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve. And so when Arlis said that, like I said, it took me about a week before that popped back in my head. Whoa.

Creators started this 15 years ago to get to this point for this man to tell me that, to understand, like, that's true. And from that point forward, I started watching these shows, and I was like, I wonder what it'd be like to, you know, go. Go for.

I wouldn't drink alcohol to go for something after work and just talk about the day or talk about our families or whatever it is. Before we went Home.

And then started thinking about, wow, what it would be like to be in a relationship now, and what would it be like not to die in prison? And I was like, I refuse to die in prison.

And from that point forward, I started my journey of introspection through the arts, through education, through workshops, through self help groups, to really become comfortable with the ugliness that I had at that, that time and really confront it and release it by talking about it.

Bill Cleveland: 00:09:30

That's a heck of a lot of work. How did your interaction with outside artists and volunteers mix with the introspection that you're describing here?

Henry Frank: 00:09:43

That set my journey to, like, why are these people coming in, the volunteers and the free staff, and dedicating their time to come in and teach us convicts that are going to die in prison at one time. And then it's just they want to make a difference, and this is how they do it in their life. And now that's cool. They must not have a life out there.

But now that I'm out here and I'm in the similar job and I have a life and I have things to do, but yet I still need to take the time out to give back to the people that gave to me and that I want to hopefully give back to the guys inside, knowing that I can't change them, knowing that I can't live their life for them. But I can be a role model, like people were role models for me.

Bill Cleveland: 00:10:26

When you tell that story, which is, I think, a powerful story that anybody who hears it would take some inspiration from. But it reminds me of a story from St. Quentin when I was working in Arts and Corrections. I remember being in the art room at St.

Quentin, and it was a beginning drawing class, and the teacher was new and made a mistake based on a certain assumption.

And the mistake was, I'd like you to imagine something out there in the world that you would like to draw and write down what it is, and then we'll set to figuring out how to draw. That one guy in particular looked pretty mad, and he said, I'm not interested in going there.

And I don't appreciate your assuming that we're all just on the same train. We live in a different place than you do. And I don't actually like to do a lot of imagining.

And I realized then that our job was, first of all to honor that, and second of all, in the most respectful and safe way possible, reintroduce people to the imagination that you reconnected with. When your friend asked, can you place yourself out There, not just here.

Could you talk a little bit about how your experience with art making and imagination helped you on your path down that road?

Henry Frank: 00:11:59

Oh, really? I started off pretty much drawing animals and baskets and stuff and stuff that when I grew up, but not really exposed to.

And that's because of my grandmother in the Carlisle schools and going through the atrocities that she had to go through. So she didn't really pass it down because she was trying to protect us.

And then I get into the prison system, where you gotta choose where you're gonna be at. Well, I went to the Native American circle. I mean, there was a huge thing behind it.

Cause I was a former gang member as well, and I had to make a choice. And then I just figured, you know what? I was born Yurok and nothing, nothing changed since then.

So I went with my people and then I got in there and I started sweating and I started hanging out with everybody and people talked about their res experience. And I spent time on the res, just on the summers though, like on our property and just slept on out on land.

Played in the fields with the grass hoppers and running in the creek, playing with the crawdads and my brother and stuff. So I get in there and I just started just drawing that stuff and then found somebody who taught me some watercolor.

And then fast forward to when I get to San Quentin, and they had the arts and corrections and they had a room with, I mean, you know, high quality artists that are well known in the region and across America and some even internationals. So it's just like, wow, some people that are there that really know what they're doing. So I trusted them and I just was a blank slate. Teach me.

And then also there was a artist facilitator, his name was Steve.

Bill Cleveland: 00:13:28

That was Steve Emrick, who was coordinating the program at St. Quentin at that time. Right.

Henry Frank: 00:13:35

He was really just encouraging and supportive of what we wanted to do.

Bill Cleveland: 00:13:45

Part two, a treasure chest at San Quentin. So how did the art program and your personal cultural journey come together?

Henry Frank: 00:13:56

They started doing some sweat lodges and started understanding some of the basket designs. So I started writing my tribe and asked them, like, hey, can you send me this stuff, this information? And it took a while.

And Steve called the tribe and said, hey, you have a tribal member here and you let me speak to him. We sent you stuff twice and it keeps on getting sent back. And I said, what are you sending?

And then he told me, and I said, I can't have DVDs and I can't have hardbound Books. Okay. And so they cut it off and they took out the DVDs, and then I received it, and I was like, oh, it was a treasure chest. I was like, oh, my God.

And just the exposure to it, and that's through art, because I wanted to create more art.

But when I did get this, I started teaching myself language, and I started reaching out to Humboldt State, getting their language course that breaks it down like you're in elementary school to learn it, and then some archival photos. And so I just started putting into my artwork. And we had a lot of people that came through Humboldt county, which is a home county.

And then I'm also pomo, so I met a lot of my cousins through there, but they were teaching me about the stomp dance and bouncing, which is another style of dance. Then the brush dances, the white scary dance.

So I started learning more about my culture, all because I want to put these things into my painting, which opened up this box that I didn't even know was in there that was empty and then just started filling up.

And in my case, it really helped me connect back to my roots, to my culture, to my heritage, and to give me that thirst for more knowledge of where I came from and the history of my people, for which I eventually extended over to my pomo side. And that's. That's a different story, because it's about eight years after that that I find out I had another hole.

Bill Cleveland: 00:15:43

Wow.

Henry Frank: 00:15:44

Wow.

Henry Frank: 00:15:45

Yeah.

Bill Cleveland: 00:15:45

I was thinking about language. I speak one language, and I fumble with that language.

And I was wondering if, as you were introduced to your mother language, if it affected the way you saw or heard or experienced the world.

Henry Frank: 00:16:05

Yeah, because I realized I didn't know anything. I mean, I grew up with my grandma, and so we spoke it in the house a little tiny bit for, like, food and maybe Roll's father and grandma, son and.

And animals. And we knew be careful, and we knew behave. And that's kind of about it.

I never really thought about, you know, because I was a kid, you know, so I never really thought about why is she only. Why are we only knowing this stuff and not really understanding that? Why am I not speaking your rock in this house right.

Till years later when I started learning it, and I'm just like, wow.

And all of the people that know how to speak it, there was only at that time, because I did the research and the tribe let me know there was only like five people that spoke it fluently and maybe 13 people that knew it moderately. And there was no one beginning. But since then they have done a language revival. And so now it's taught in elementary schools.

It's taught in the high school at McKinleyville and they had the course at Humboldt State, ironically under foreign languages. And.

And then now they're doing it on the reservation at the elder communities, having these beginning classes and the latest, I believe this year we have 22 fluent and we have about 80 moderate and then 200 beginnings. But to think back too, and I was just thinking like, how did we lose our language?

Oh yeah, And I'm doing this while I'm doing my carving on my block print, while I'm painting things and when I'm in the sweat lodge, it's connected for me and it's just, man, I.

Bill Cleveland: 00:17:41

Would imagine connecting to that history. There were some painful moments as well.

Henry Frank: 00:17:46

The brutality that my people, you know, indigenous people, not just here, what they had to go through to be afraid to speak their own language, to be afraid to do their own ceremonies, to be afraid to show who their children are so they can't, you know, beat them and make them do something. It, it was just, it was a mind opening.

So I started ordering books and on the Pomos and the year rocks and then native people in general and just learning what they went through. And then when I went through, I think it was philosophy.

One of my classes and one of the missionaries wrote a book that detailed what they did to the natives when they got here. And it was, it made me mad and it made me sad and it made me like, wow, what we had to go through to get here and.

But also understanding that the people around me are not accountable for that their ancestors are.

And to really understand too, I was going to the native groups in their workshop and I started really understanding the post generational trauma about how I am and when people like, I feel so bad that my, my people treated your people so bad and this and that and they go into detail and they're really genuine and heartfelt. And I'll be always saying, you know what? It's not your fault, it's okay.

And then one day, like, why am I comforting you for what your ancestors did to my ancestors? Just, hey, just acknowledge it, but don't sit there and try to get sympathy from me.

You know, I do my best just to let them know in the most gentle way, hey, I accept your empathy. You don't need to hold on to that.

And I'm not going to like, try to make you feel better about it, but just know I don't hold you accountable but thank you for acknowledging it.

Bill Cleveland: 00:19:33

I spent some time in Pine Ridge, and what they taught me was there's some in the white community that want to get away with an apology and then be hugged and comforted. And they were not in any way mean or antagonistic in saying, that's not actually our agenda.

Our agenda is we have people here who live in substandard housing. We have kids who aren't getting a really good education. We have very high unemployment. Let's just work on that stuff.

If white folks are interested in helping out, there's some very practical ways in which our lives can be. Can be better, and then we can break bread around the good work that we do.

But this sitting around talking thing isn't getting the hole in my roof fixed. It's just not.

Henry Frank: 00:20:29

I'd just like to. Like to add, there are people who go out and build houses. There are people that donate food and all this stuff.

We're talking about the government who is not willing to say, hey, we messed up, and we need to fix this and start putting some money towards infrastructure in the native communities, in the native societies. More than just a box of food that just says cheese on it and pork on it, and give some. Some real sustenance, some real nutrients.

I know at one time, I believe, the great in Rancheria, they were talking with the United States government, and they wanted to make reparations and how do you do it?

And they propose that, all right, well, just give free education to any Native American in the United States that wants to go to any college, any university, any master's program, doctor's program, and that's it. That would be cool. Just give us free education until we don't want to take it anymore. I know we. We will not do that.

And I'm like, wow, hearing that, I'm like, that's like a slap in the face. But I understand. Understand where they're coming from, because a educated Indian is a dangerous Indian.

If you understand how the infrastructure works, you can deconstruct it. And. And we've always been that way.

That's why there's a Bureau of Indian affairs and no other bureau of any other Heritage affairs except for us, because they know what they did. But let's figure something out where you don't have to have a Bureau of Indian Affairs.

And then they try to tell us, oh, we're doing it for your safety, so we know that nobody is taking advantage of the system. We know who the Indians are. So, anyways, yes, I just like to just Clarify that.

Bill Cleveland: 00:22:17

Absolutely.

Henry Frank: 00:22:18

Yeah. It's just not every white.

Bill Cleveland: 00:22:20

That is absolutely true. And that's. That's a lesson, actually. Working in the prison environment was certainly a place where you had to take each person as a human being.

Some folks are dangerous, some folks are. Can be your friend, you know, in a difficult place to have any kind of friendship. I really appreciate that.

One of the questions is if you have any stories and you've told quite a few already that personify the path that you're on.

Henry Frank: 00:22:51

Well, what got me on my path was really through my introspection of who I was and what I was doing and understanding that the energy that I put in to do the negative stuff and the, you know, painful stuff in my life is the same energy I'm using now to heal and to do positive things and uplift people and support people.

And it's actually not as hard to do that as it was to stand on people and put down people and hurt people and make people do things that I wanted them to do. And not understanding, hey, they got their own agendas in life, too. They're trying to make a name for themselves.

So I would say I didn't acknowledge the compassion that I had or the empathy that I had because I didn't want to be. Seemed weak. Where now today I see the empathy and I see the compassion and I see the connection.

The community just shared understanding as a strength. And what my idea of a man was back here was, you know, what I did, my.

The deeds that I did, and having people fear me and having people talk about me where today is true to his feelings. And if he needs to cry, he needs to cry. If he needs to say, hey, you hurt my feelings, he's going to say, you hurt my feelings.

That's what a man is a man. It's just. It's no different from being a woman.

You're just being the best human being that you can be at any moment and then hopefully acting on the things that can help the next person and support the next person and help that person grow, you know, as a person, to the best of your ability, and just being in there and sometimes just sitting there and just listening.

Bill Cleveland: 00:24:38

Poetry, the best chance.

So at some point in your time with the William James association, you decided to return the favor, to give back, to go back inside as an artist, which is no small thing for a returned citizen.

Henry Frank: 00:24:56

It wasn't an easy decision to go back inside of, you know, a place that I had some good memories. Like you said, friends. My first real friend which I classify as a friend was in prison.

The first time I accepted myself for being a good looking man and not just a fat lazy bastard was in prison. The first time when I started loving myself was unprison.

The first time I really had self worth and self confidence and, and I'm not saying the prison did it for me because you know, in my opinion, they're there to do their job. They're there to make sure we don't kill each other. And I'll leave it at that, other than that they don't care.

But the people that come in, they care. And so once I saw that, then I can identify and others that were in on the same yard with me or in the same block with me. Oh wow, look at that.

What proved it to me was my friend Arlos, may he rest in peace. He passed away, but he did get out. So I was happy and we spent a couple years together while he was out here running him around. We had a great time.

But when I was inside one day, he got surrounded by three other people and threatened to kill him. But he doesn't tell me. And so three days later, another Indian was up in my cell talking.

He's like, yeah, that's crazy the way they threaten our list. And I'm like, what are you talking about? He's like, yeah, this is went down. I said, what? How come? Why don't I know? I'm his best friend and I'm mad.

I take off, I go down to the yard, I'm looking for him. Like, no. Oh, so he must be in the cell. So I ran back up. He was in a cell, the doors are unlocked during the day. I open up, come in and sit down.

I said, we need to have a talk. And he's like, about what? And I said, no, you tell me. But he's, what is it? I said, first of all, are we not friends? Are we not brothers?

Are we not family? And he's yeah. I said, how come I found out three days ago that these three people threatened your life? I don't understand.

You know, I'm not going to tolerate that. And he looked at me and he said, henry, I told you because I know what you would do.

And now to everybody here out of this whole Indian community, you have the best chance of going home. And I am not going to be responsible from taking that from you. And I was like, wow, it blew my mind.

I did not expect that answer from this person because he was hardcore. He was okay with stabbing people and, you know, eating Cheerios afterwards, but here we are. And I'm just like, whoa, I've never had that.

I said, all right. I said, that's cool. I appreciate that. And I go back to my cell, and I just think about it, like, wow.

And I didn't really understand the power and understand the dynamics of it probably for a while, but I said, oh, this man cares about me, you know? And I think he cared about me because he knew how much I cared about him.

He was my elder and my mentor and my teacher, and he's the one, you know, who changed my mind about the outside.

And I'm just like, wow, I've never had a friend before, a real friend, one that I didn't have to worry about, one didn't think about, what is he trying to get from me? What is all this stuff? All of that was gone. And it changed our relationship again. It enhanced it. And I used to.

Like I said, I used to watch Boston Legal, and at the end of it, I don't know if you ever saw it, but at the end of it, yeah, yeah.

They'd always sit outside on the patio there in their office, and they would drink their scotch and have their cigars, and they would just talk about the day. And I just wished, oh, I want to experience that one day.

Every night, Arlis and I, we'd be the only ones that would go down to the grounds in Night Yard and just sit on the ground raining. No matter what, we were out there, we were always out there.

And I'd have my cup of coffee, and he'd have his cup of coffee, and we'd just sit there, and we'd just talk about the new brother that came into the yard. We talk about the sweat, and we talk about how he's doing with his medical because he was a diabetic.

And then I had my chest pain, and I was just, like, sitting there, and one day I was just sipping it, and I was like, whoa, I'm living this in the middle of this prison yard. I am living this. I wanted it, and Creator gave it to me. And so I'm like, all right.

That even made me like, I want to get out and just start putting my energy into it. Because I didn't put a whole lot of energy into this, and Creator gave it to me. So I was like, what can it hurt? And what can it hurt?

What can it hurt to have hope?

Bill Cleveland: 00:29:27

Absolutely. And Henry Story is so powerful and so heartfelt, and thank you for sharing. Reminds me of a couple things.

Number one, what a Hell of a journey to go from what many men learn, which is nobody will respect you unless you threaten them. That's an early message that a lot of little boys learn right. Right away. And to.

To actually be able to turn the corner on that in a place where there's a lot of that going on. It's not exactly nurturing, empathic place, the joint, but the other thing, inside or out.

I imagine there are many men who would give their eye teeth to have a friend like yours to be able to tell a story like that. Those are too precious things in the world, wherever you are.

And what a gift now that you carry that with you in your work and in your life and in your relationships with the community that you live in. That's a gift. That's a gift.

So if you were at a table with younger people who go, well, Henry, I'd like to follow in your footsteps, in the best of them. And you're on the verge of being an elder, and elders do pass on important wisdom to people who are coming up behind them. What would you share?

Henry Frank: 00:31:11

I think I shared earlier. Don't go in thinking that you're going to change somebody, and don't go in thinking you're going to save somebody. And don't go in with judgment.

I did that for 35 years of my life, and it got me into prison with the life sentence.

And when I stopped judging people and stopped making up my own stories about people and started actually communicating with people to understand their life and understand where they've been and where they want to be and where they would like to go imaginary or real, just to have a future plan instead of just dying in prison like I had. Just go in to be the best person that you can, be who you are, and don't think that you're perfect. Know that you're going to learn.

You're going to learn from them. You're going to learn from yourself. You're going to learn from the experience.

You're going to learn from the reaction of when you tell people what you're doing. You're going to learn from that.

You're either going to grow from it or you're going to retract from it and just look at it when that happens and understand why you're having this reaction. What is it that you're telling yourself about the work that you're doing?

So for me, this is my way of giving back, since I'm formally incarcerated, my way of letting the staff know, hey, none of us are trash. None of Us are not unredeemable, unrehabilitative.

If you give us the opportunities and you give us the right environment and you give us the right teachers, that we all can be better, we can all evolve and we can all learn how to be better people in the sense of being functional within society, being functional within a community, being functional with the people around me.

And I didn't share this four of us when I was in Arts and Corrections as an inmate, a person experiencing incarceration because we want to be mindful of our words as well and make sure that we understand there are human beings and not dehumanize him. That when I was in there and I was there and I was painting, then I was sitting there with other people drawing.

But over time I learned about their families, I learned about their dreams, I learned about what weighs on them. And then also watching them interact with the free people, the instructors, and seeing how they meet Black Gary. I didn't see Mexican Felix.

Eventually it was just Felix. Eventually it was just Gary. And then it's just like my fellow artists are the acrylic guy or the guy who just puts so much detail in his painting.

Like every, every piece of hay. It just came to that. And then also understand there was different cultural, there was different religious backgrounds and none of that mattered.

We just were just sharing our lives with each other. And in that moment, I didn't realize the social dynamics of it until years.

Like probably a decade later when I'm out here and I was talking about it on a panel like what did Arts and Correction give to you?

And that's when I realized everything that was given to me besides just great art instruction, but my self confidence again and getting my self worth. Seeing myself more than just a piece of shit. As the officers would tell you quite often, I'm an artist. And if I'm an artist, I'm a human being.

And so with a person coming in with a free instructor that comes in and called me by Henry instead of J2.8 started humanizing me. And so just have a open mind, an open heart and an open spirit and just be there because you want to be there.

And just do as much good as you can do and that's it. The rest will do itself.

Bill Cleveland: 00:34:51

So the thing you mentioned there, which is so powerful, this is a place that is designed to create adversaries in many ways and accentuates all those differences that you describe. For anybody who's not aware of this, we certainly have extraordinary tension in our everyday lives in the free world. Around difference and judgment.

But that's nothing compared to the way in which our correctional institutions, these prisons, manifest. They take humans and they push them in the most intense way against each other.

And to be sitting at a table and have a black man, a brown man, turn into a human being in front of your eyes, inside your head, and to be arguing watercolor technique rather than whose gang's gonna take on who's gang. I think there are people who know prison who would say that's, that's a miracle.

Henry Frank: 00:35:53

Definitely a place that wants you to be a certain way and it's up to you to be something else as much as you can. Yep, yep. And so in there, I was learning and people were giving it to me.

And at one point I thought I just said, I think I'm really, I'm ready to give back. I'm wasting away in here. My life has been thrown away by my deeds. Don't get me wrong, by my deeds. And. But I'm.

I have so much potential, and you're just letting me rot in here. And I carry that until one day is, you know, that's where I got, you know, just. I'm going to be the best person I can be.

I'm going to help the people that around me. And so that's when I started getting into those leadership positions. And I can lead by example as well. And I've had struggles, don't get me wrong.

And, and part of it, no, part of it getting me through it was remembering that I had this position. And if I did do this, those people who are holding me as the, the role model. If he can't do it, I can't do it.

Bill Cleveland: 00:36:59

Part 4 Being Free so, Henry, you learned a hell of a lot inside. What has being on the outside taught you that?

Henry Frank: 00:37:10

I've been out for eight years now, and it took me about two years to get rid of all of the tics and all the physical reactions that I had.

And I didn't really realize until I was in, until I was like walking down the street and all of a sudden I get tense and everything and had to identify what was going on.

And sometimes it was just quietness, sometimes it was loud noises, sometimes it was just a position of a person moving too quickly or something like that. And about the end of the second year, I'd always have this feeling, oh, somebody's gonna get me. And I was a gang member, and then I was in prison.

And so you're always on, you're always watching everything, you're always Ready for whatever's gonna happen.

And so I had just taken my friends to the airport in their van, unloaded em, unload the whole back, gone into the thing, got back in the car and I was driving back over the Golden Cape Bridge and I just felt like somebody was back ready to just choke me out or something. And I'm like, I know nobody's back there. There is nobody back there. Because I emptied the van and I just started tearing up.

Said creator, why are you doing this to me? What did I do? And I just went quiet. And as I was driving and I think for the first time in my life, I was like, I am safe. I am safe.

I am not doing anything to aggravate somebody. I'm not antagon anybody out. Nobody knows who I am or who I was. I am safe. Wow.

And that night, where I lived with the couple, they never locked their doors. But when they were gone, I'd always lock the doors. But that night, it's like, I'm not gonna lock the doors. Went upstairs.

It took me a minute to get to sleep, but I just. Wow. And that really let me. Not too long after that, I met my wife.

Bill Cleveland: 00:39:06

What a beautiful thing.

Henry Frank: 00:39:07

I believe there is. Yeah. So it takes a toll on a person.

So just have some compassion when you're around a returning resident and having some patience and just talk to them. That's it. It's like a regular person because they.

Bill Cleveland: 00:39:22

Are regular people giving them the love and support to get settled. And once that happens, once the stall starts to settle, other people can feel it. It's attractive. My final question.

Many of the things that we encounter on the inside are more and more.

Bill Cleveland: 00:39:43

Showing up on the outside.

Bill Cleveland: 00:39:44

Judgment, antagonism, a lot of fear. And given what you have learned, have to offer to a world that needs to heal and to find common ground.

Henry Frank: 00:39:57

It's a simple but most hardest thing is to listen, is to state your case without trying to win your case.

And then to listen to someone out state their case without believing that they're trying to persuade you to their place and then see where that common ground and work towards it. Like you're saying about the reservations, like, oh, we're sorry, okay, that doesn't do anything.

But if you're sorry and you start putting support into that community, however it may be, then some healing can. Can start. Will it be complete forgiveness? Maybe not.

But at least it would be some healing and some mending where you can actually see each other as a support instead of a oppressor or a suppressor. Or a two face or fork, tongue, whatever you want to call it. And so your action must match your words.

I think we need to start in the elementary schools. I have really benefited from nonviolent communication.

Learning about how not to be violent with yourself, with your thoughts, and how to really cherish, express and just honor what you're feeling in a moment and be and feel safe enough where you can express how you feel, where the other person can have that space and not judge you for it and just take it in and then respond in the best way that you can is through empathy, through action, through a request.

And people are more in tune with who they are, where they're not lashing out and trying to deflect all these things, to find out what your defects are, what you are ashamed of and just be open and have people accept that.

And that is so hard in today's society and you know, kindergarten all the way up, because there are the have and have not and, and that you can have not and still be proud and you can still have self worth and all of that stuff.

And a person can have, you know, all the money in the world and not have that self worth, not have that self confidence because everything was done for them. It's not their fault either way.

But I'm just saying to just have that communication open where you can just honestly and genuinely just share what's going on in your life and just, you know, let it go where it may and just do the best it's for them and say, oh, hey, why don't you come over my house?

Bill Cleveland: 00:42:23

And Henry, one of the privileges I have in having these kinds of conversations is that I get to do the thing you were just describing, which is to listen.

You have told a story that both spiritually and I think very materially manifest that idea that stories are powerful things and they can hold you hostage and, and they can set you free.

Bill Cleveland: 00:42:51

And.

Bill Cleveland: 00:42:51

And I really appreciate your, your sharing it with us. I really do. Thank you, Henry.

Henry Frank: 00:42:59

I just like to offer my appreciation too, to my gratitude and just thank you for having this space, not just for me, but for everybody that you're going to have here to let those people share their stories so they can be seen. I just am grateful. Thank you.

Bill Cleveland: 00:43:14

Well, Henry, grateful is a good thing to be these days and we are very grateful to both our guests and our listeners.

Bill Cleveland: 00:43:23

Another thing we're grateful for is the positive feedback we've received from hundreds of you over the past four years that we've been doing this show. Not only positive feedback but also suggestion for making the show more impactful.

Like more in depth storytelling, more tools for teaching and advocacy, and a broader reach. Well, we like those ideas too, so to make them a reality, we've launched a GoFundMe campaign to help improve and expand the podcast.

You'll find the Change the story GoFundMe link in our show notes. You know as well as anyone that the world needs these stories now more than ever.

If you believe in the power of creative voices to shift narratives, spark action, and build a more just and humane world, we'd be honored if you consider supporting this effort.

Whether through a donation, spreading the word, or sharing the campaign with your networks, every bit helps us continue lifting up the artists and culture makers who are changing the world. Thank you so much. And now we head back into the second part of our conversation with Henry Frank from the center for the Study of Art and Community.

This is Change the Story, Change the World.

Bill Cleveland: 00:44:43

My name is Bill Cleveland.

Bill Cleveland: 00:44:45

Now back in October: 2021

Needless to say, this was a saga of change and, as we discovered in our recent visit, a story whose impact has continue to unfold in both powerful and surprising ways over the past two years.

Here are three amazing new chapters that Henry shared about that unfolding Part one Smiley the first of these stories concerns a bear, or more specifically, a 60 year old golden grizzly bear pelt that was gifted to Henry by a close friend who had become aware of his strong interest in the bear centered healing traditions of his people.

Henry Frank: 00:45:58

He said, I'm giving it to you because I know it'll be taken care of. And I said thank you.

And so, you know, from that point on I've been taking care of her, found out that she was a female and then with my wife we started doing ceremonies for her in the winter to put her to sleep and then we would do a wakening ceremony in the spring and did that for four or five years. And then my spiritual leader from San Quentin came over because I needed some red tail hawk feathers to finish my drum.

But he showed up on the day when we were doing the sleeping ceremony and I said, hey, you want to come in and put my bear to sleep? He said, what? I Said, you want to come in? We're doing a sleeping ceremony. He's like, you got a bear? I said, yeah. And he's like, I knew it.

I knew you were a bear. I'm like, yeah. So he came in, we did our whole thing, and during that time, he's like, I knew it. I'm going to get you into the bear clan.

I'm going to get you to the bear chief. I knew it, Hank. I knew it.

And with Hector, he runs on Indian time, so it could happen the next day or it could happen 10 years from now, but it'll happen and then nothing else. Just a year later, he calls him and said, hey, Hank, I talked to bear chief. He wants to meet you, so have your bear and.

And let me know if I can pick you up on Saturday. And so I was just like, okay. And I'm just like, the imposter syndrome. My Indian enough. Am I strong enough to have the endurance?

Is my bear good enough? So I said, I don't know. So I didn't call him back.

And me and my wife been going to Yosemite for about, say, about five years, and we always go and look for bears. We never came across a bear. So this time, we go up to Tuolumne Meadows, and we got out, and we were walking. My wife says, I think I see a bear.

We're like, no way. So we come back, and it was a mama bear with a cub, and she was teaching them how to tear the bark off for the termites and grub hunting.

And we sat with her for about two or three hours, and then she came all the way. I mean, I got within 40ft of her fantastic photos and of her baby, but I know not to get in between those two.

So that was always aware where everybody was. And then she walked off, and that was it. All right, let's go.

So we drive down to where the meadows are, and there's another bear in the middle of the field, like a big one. I said, oh, my God. So before we even stop, I was already down the hill with my camera and walking up to him and just taking pictures.

And then we went on. So that's three bears already. And then as we were leaving, there was a fourth bear blocking the way on the exit.

So I jumped out and get on that side, takes a picture as he goes up the hill, and I jump back in the car, and we're driving down now from Yosemite, and I was like, holy cow. I can't believe we just saw four bears. After five years, all in one day. And then it hit me, the bear dams. And I just start crying. It just started it.

And I was like, oh my goodness. I said, it's a sign, honey. She said, I know. And so once I got down to Merced, as soon as I got cell phone, I called Hector.

. He's like, I'll be there at: 10:00

And so he came and put my bear in the back, jumped in with him and his boys and we went up there and I met the, the lead bearer there. And he said, hector's been telling me about you. I said, yeah. He said, you have a bear? I said, I do. Where is it? I said, she's in the car.

Well, let me see her to come out. He said, oh my God, is that a grizzly? I said, yeah. So I told him the story, told him what's been going on.

I said, everybody can tell that she was well taken care of because did the ceremonies and all that stuff and smug her down. And he's, all right, we just asked you to come up just to meet. Can't sweat this and that. And as we're talking, he's like, you know what?

He said, you want to sweat with us? I'm like, yeah, I'll sweat with you.

He's like, he's like, no, if you sweat with us, you're a bear because you're gonna have to put your hide up on that lodge over there. That's a life commitment. There's no violence, there's no disrespecting your women. There's no drugs, alcohol, stuff like this. So I can do that.

That's what I'm doing now. And he said, hector, you're his wingman. He smudged me down and my bear, her name's Miley. So I prayed with Smiley, put her up on a lodge, sweat it.

And then I danced that night. And it was for like four and a half hours. And in the middle of it, I was like really feeling Smiley on me.

And one of the brothers stopped and he said, that bear looks, looks a little heavy. Is she heavy? And I said, yeah. And he said, is that because you got Packer around? And I'm like, yeah. He's like, that's where you're messing up.

He said, you're not packing that bear. That bear is carrying you. Once you understand that, you won't even feel that bear on you. And that's what happened. I let Go.

Of all the, oh, this is too heavy. How much longer all that stuff got out of that and got into the spirit realm and the prayers and finished out the night and. And I knew I was home.

That was where I was supposed to be. That's where I belong. And. And the dance is a. A hearing, a healing ceremony for the, the community members.

So the people that come, they come to get help, get some medicine.

And if it's us or if it's them just seeing this bear, or is it creator or all of it all together, but people get healed there from all kinds of stuff. And that's what I do. And I'm just blessed that creator let me do this.

Bill Cleveland: 00:51:32

What an honor.

Henry Frank: 00:51:33

This bear came to me.

You got to think about it like, in the great scheme of life, that this bear was killed like 50, 60 years ago to meet me to get her second life in that arbor.

Bill Cleveland: 00:51:48

Legoland In July of: 2022

Jones center for Race, Gender and Social justice at the University of Cincinnati and the National Underground Railroad Freedom center to participate in a symposium called Marking Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration. The symposium and exhibition were curated by Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood, the author of the National Book Award winning book of the same name.

In this story, Henry describes his adventures in the academy and gallery worlds and how one thing led to another and another and another.

Henry Frank: 00:52:32

So I was invited to the Marking Time symposium, and I'm just a panel being formally incarcerated, so I have the lived experience and plus being an artist and understanding how that art really helped guide me through those troubled waters while I was inside. And I brought a little reel PowerPoint with some of my diverse work, acrylics, printing, and then my LEGO prison.

So I've been just working in legos and I did a full prison with three tiers, a yard and all that stuff, plus a visiting room and a transport bus. And they all go together. And. And afterwards I just went over and Nicole came up and shook my hand and thanked me for being there.

The next day we were at lunch and I happened to sit next to Nicole and we were chopping it up like we knew each other forever. And something just said, this is the moment. And I said, hey, Nicole, can I stop this really super quick?

I don't want to lose the flow, but can I sell myself for a second? She said, of course, Henry, what do you got? I said, did you.

Do you remember the LEGO prisons and the LEGO sculptures that you saw yesterday in the real? And she's like, yeah, those are amazing. I said, they need a place. They need a place to be seen. And so she said, all right, I'll see what I can do.

And I didn't hear from her probably for a couple weeks. I said, okay, that was cool. At least she liked it.

And then an email comes through talking about, hey, I want all the dimensions for your Legos and how much do they weigh? And so I gave her all the information, and she said, can't get it in now, but the next one. And that was the Brown University.

And she wanted the visiting room and the transport bus. I said, cool. And so she said, how do you want to do? I said, probably just mel it.

And then she said, no, Henry, you can either mail it in, or we can fly you out to Brown University and you can install it into the gallery yourself. So what would you like? I said, I like to install it myself. Okay, then we'll set that up. And I was like, I have an assistant.

And they're like, bring her, too. And just so happens she's my wife because I've had this stuff on my shoulder. So she does a lot of the installing work. From the beginning.

It brought us out, put us out there, and we got to stay for the opening reception. I mean, we retreated really good, and then it was a hit, and along with all the other great artists in there, so it was an honor to be amongst them.

And, man, that really changed my world because this is her traveling exhibit, and so now I'm a part of it, and now I'm in Harlem up there. And they flew us out. They flew me out for the opening of that, and that was just amazing.

Afterwards, I got nominated for a Art for justice grant, and you only can apply if you've been invited. I was invited by Nicole. So once you get nominated, you know, it's up to you to get yourself in there.

And they're like, oh, you only can do five pages, and that's it. And the closest thing I can relate that to that process was, like, going to parole board.

It was like, instead of like, how did I get to a criminal mindset? And then how did I get out? And how am I going to maintain that mindset? It was about, how did you start your art? Where's your art now?

Where do you want your art to go? And how does it affect the people that see it? I'm like, holy cow. Like, I'm not a academically trained artist. I'm just an artist.

And so I was like, dang, this is I mean, I don't know how hard it is to write a dissertation, but I think this was damn near close to it. I mean, I put about 35 days into it, just doing it over and over, trimming fat, this and that.

And then I had a couple people looking over, and when I got done with that, and I felt like I was in front of that board again, waiting to see if I get parole or not, and I sent it in, and I figured, if I don't get this, I am not ever going to write another grant proposal again, because I don't know what else I could do more. And about, I think six months went by and I get this phone call, and this lady was on the phone, and she was so excited.

And I'm with the Art for Justice Fund and this and that, and I just want to call to let you know that we have granted you your grant. And I was like, what is. He's like, oh, my God. And like, I start crying. I'm on speaker. My wife started crying. And I was just like, well, and.

And not only they give me what I requested, they gave me the full amount. So it was like. And she's like, we need your art out there. I said, oh, my God. I said, you don't know what it means to me. And she said, henry, no.

And she was crying. She's like, you don't know what it means to us. You don't know what it means to the world. And I'm just like, wow, this is so crazy. And she's.

I just want to give you our deepest congratulations and good luck. And we can't wait to see what you do. And do you have any questions? I said, no, I'm good. And so that's where I'm at now. And I'm in the middle of that.

ng the. I got funded for the J: 80928

And it's going to be artwork based on my experiences, positive and negative, during my incarceration throughout the prison.

Bill Cleveland: 00:57:50

In episode 34, during our first conversation with Henry, he described his early days as an artist in prison as instilling a hunger that made him want to learn more and just keep creating.

It's clear that hunger has only grown in the decades since his release, as he describes the long and intense journey he's taken with his LEGO prison, which was originally inspired by the animated film series Despicable Me, which, among other things, is a story of transformation and redemption.

Henry Frank: 00:58:23

The LEGO prison started off was originally. It was Just for a minion prison. Because the despicable mean three. And so I made that, brought it home. Like I couldn't take it apart, I just couldn't.

I'm like, well I can't store it forever either. Like, who's gonna want to see this? And so it sat up on my little shelf here for probably about eight months.

And then one day I think I was working or something, I look over and I started hearing noises. Prison, key, guard, door, people talking, smelling the smoke. And I said, oh wow. So I took everything out.

arlier this year from so from: 2019

But it ended up being that with the perimeter fence with three gun towers, a gate for the bus to go in which opens and a bus can go through it, which I already did. And it has the front sign gate. Who tells you who the warden is? And you can't bring in this, it's illegal to bring in guns, tobacco, all that stuff.

So I got all of that in there. But at the end of the first one I was just thinking about my wife. Hun's like, how does it feel? I'm like, it feels good.

She's like, yeah, I think it's been therapeutic for you because you have, you've had a shift. I'm like, huh?

I didn't really think about it but now I know it's like, I don't know if I so much like trapped that energy in that piece, but I put it into it and so I can see it on some of the stories that go along with it.

And then the next piece like the visiting room because my dad used to visit me anytime he could by driving up here, sleeping in his car to save money so we could actually eat in the visiting room and stuff like that.

And then the transport bus, that was my least favorite part, being a big guy and all that stuff and being chained up and they just talk to you horrible on that bus. I think that was the place where I felt less of a human being than anywhere else in that place. So I created that and I did get piece from that.

And now I'm going to create five more pieces with the grant and I'm going to start that probably at the end of this month because my ceremony season's down and I'm exhibiting artists as well. So that's slowing down for right now. And I already got Exhibits lined up for next year. At least three as of right now.

Bill Cleveland: 01:00:45

Well, Henry, your first story was really about ceremony and the power of the spirit in community. And it just occurs to me that your long journey with this particular artwork is a ceremony. It's a ritual.

I mean, you describe a healing process that it has brought to you.

And this is so true of a lot of the art that I encounter in my work, is that this art needed to manifest in the world, and you were the one that brought it into being, and you needed it to be. It's not just a thing to come and look at, and there's some energy there. What a powerful thing, Henry, really.

Henry Frank: 01:01:31

And I know when I look at other people's art, it's like you go on a trip with them in an emotional ride with them. And some pieces touch me. There are ones that I got to stop and really, like, just connect with. And I think that goes for everybody.

Bill Cleveland: 01:01:44

We're at a time now where the story that we're living in is filled with pretense and illusion and distortion. And the art world is one of those places where that can happen, but the opposite can happen. The authentic roots of life can manifest right there.

Bill Cleveland: 01:02:08

You know, when I first saw you.

Bill Cleveland: 01:02:10

Showed me pictures of those Lego pieces, it just took my breath away. And I think people need to understand and see and hear and feel that our prison system, it's not a pretend thing.

Bill Cleveland: 01:02:26

It's the real thing.

Bill Cleveland: 01:02:28

I knew that if people started to see it, they would go, oh, okay, this needs to be out there.

Henry Frank: 01:02:34

So, yeah.

Bill Cleveland: 01:02:35

Congratulations.

Henry Frank: 01:02:36

Thank you.

Bill Cleveland: 01:02:40

Part three. What made you stop? Anybody who gets to know Henry Frank will recognize nature's patterns and cycles as a persistent feature of his worldview.

As such, reciprocation and accountability figure strongly in his way of working. In this third set of stories, Henry reflects on the grateful giving back part of his journey.

So, Henry, along with your travels and shows and conversations with community, your work with the William James association is taking you back inside to teach. How's that going?

Henry Frank: 01:03:18

Yeah, I'm in the California Medical facility right now. Took me a year and a half to get in there, but I stuck with it.

Henry Frank: 01:03:25

There was a point where I was.

Henry Frank: 01:03:26

Like, no, f all this. There was some, like, barriers from custody staff inside.

But I waited the six months after my denial reapplied and had a new custody officer in place. And he was very supportive, and he just said, no guarantees. You get denied for whatever reason. You can apply again in six months.

I got approved, and now I've been Going in for the last four months. I got a couple more months before I can get a Brown card and all that stuff to start going in by myself.

But I work along with Sam Tubiolo at the site. He's the site coordinator, and he is just a great mentor and a great role model.

From what I've seen with his interaction with staff, with his interaction with other colleagues, and his interaction with his students, it's all the same. And just. I really respect that.

And one thing that stuck out in my mind the first day we went in and we went into the hospice, and most people are bedridden or in wheelchairs or whatever it may be we were going through, and he went into each room talking to Bail. We're doing art programs. We got some pens. Anytime you want that, or some colored pencils, you can let me know and I'll give it to you. All right.

Because that's what we're about, creating art so you guys can do something. He was just letting them know that there are people here for them outside of the custody.

Like, people just come in and we're checking in with them, let them know if they want something, that we can provide it for them if they have that outlet. Because who knows, maybe they have that desire to draw, and that will help spiritually get that hand going so they can draw.

I got my own style since I'm formerly incarcerated and been through the board and stuff, so I can talk to some of the guys about that when it comes up. I'm teaching acrylics drawing, and there's watercolor and on the hospice yard doing murals.

We're doing it old school, like Leonardo da Vinci did, where you would grid it out and then you would poke holes and they put it on the wall, and then you rub the charcoal in, and then you draw your line. Because it's 90 foot by, I think, 25ft, 90 foot long.

So we took this little picture that was probably about 16 inches long and then threw it on that wall, and then putting down base coats and then giving it that shading. And so it's just been amazing and just working with the guys, so it is fantastic.

Bill Cleveland: 01:05:48

Yeah.

And the thing about a mural in a place where everybody comes is that when you make a painting or a drawing, you could send it home, you could put it in hobby or whatever. But when you got that thing up there as a part of your larger house, that's a big deal.

You're making your mark in a way that most of them probably never imagined.

Henry Frank: 01:06:11

One of the people Helping us. Before we got there, they said all he did was just lay in bed and watch tv.

And since we've been there every Wednesday, he's out there already getting ready to paint on the mural. And he went rogue a little bit in a corner. And it was a shock at first, but you know what, we gotta let his creativity. He lives there.

Bill Cleveland: 01:06:34

Yes.

Henry Frank: 01:06:35

But you know, the head doctor's like, what, can I see this the schematic again? Cause I don't remember this and. But Sam is awesome. Let him know the story.

And it's like we can leave that little piece there and we can just paint around it, you know, But I really enjoyed that.

So I spoke up for them, spoke up for him because it's different and that's what it's about, you know, giving the people that have voice and just amplifying it so it could be heard. So I just really enjoy that.

Bill Cleveland: 01:07:01

Another manifestation of Henry's teaching is spending time sharing his story with others, particularly at conferences and gatherings devoted to raising awareness of and changing the American criminal justice system. At these events, Henry has found that learning ends up being a two way street.

certainly the case in July of: 2020

Williams, who is also the founder of a justice oriented film organization, Restorative Media, created the event to explore how the history of incarceration at Alcatraz informs us about the state of incarceration today.

Henry Frank: 01:07:49

Troy Williams, he invited me to the speaker series on Alcatraz for Return residents. And so I went out, my wife and I, and took some artwork and there's a lot of people there, probably like 200 plus.

And I just told my story and I started off with don't ask me any questions that you really don't want the answers to. I will answer honestly. And people ask me some cool stuff and then some just question like, what was your favorite meal? And all this stuff.

But at the end when everything was clearing up, I was talking to one of the rangers and this little kid runs up and he kept looking at me and said, excuse me for one second. I said, I can help you, my little man. And so can I ask you a question? I said, sure. He's like, what is it that made you stop doing bad things?

I'm like, what? He's like, what is it that made you stop doing bad things? I was like, wow, that's a very calm, complex, complicated question.

Do I want to talk to him? Like he would understand it. I mean, what do I say to this little guy? And I stopped and I thought just for a second, and I looked at him.

I said, I found the value in my life. I said, once I found the value in my life, I could see the value in other people's lives.

And even if I can't see it, like, physically or what they're doing, I know it's there because I know mine's here. And that's what made me stop doing bad things. He's like, thank you. And he just ran off and went back to his mom.

And I'm just like, whoa, that was intense. I said, I wonder what was going on in that little man's life, you know, to ask that question. Who knows? But I was just like, man, put.

Bill Cleveland: 01:09:30

Me on this, you know, Henry, that's.

Bill Cleveland: 01:09:32

Not unlike when the bear just shows up in the valley. That little kid had some things he needed to do. Maybe he had some things he needed to do for you.

Henry Frank: 01:09:43

True.

Bill Cleveland: 01:09:45

Recently, the California Medical facility at Vacaville, California, which is a prison, presented a unique event called Prison Palooza.

The gathering brought together staff, community members and the incarcerated population and what might be best described as an all day community music and food festival. The event garnered quite a lot of attention and a few questions for Henry at a UC Santa Cruz panel on prison reform.

Henry Frank: 01:10:14

Yeah, I was just at UC Santa Cruz on a prison panel there, and at the end of it, one of the people asked me, he said, why CMF had a prison Palooza, which was out on the yard, and there was booths, there was the AIC booth, there was a parole booth where you could come up and ask questions. Food on the yard, concert. It was really close. Thing I can say, it was like a art, wine and music festival without the.

The wine, it was just really cool. And the warden, all of the administrators were pretty much on the yard and talking to people. They were dancing to the music just like everybody else.

I mean, it was just really phenomenal. Something I would not ever think I would see in my lifetime. And so somebody asked, like, what's the point of it? Why would you do that?

Or the people inside. I said, it's a sign that the culture is shifting in there and it's a sign that gives people hope that are in there. And why does that matter to you?

Because you don't want somebody coming out with no hope. You want people to come out with the. The desire to stay out here, the desire to connect with other people. Like he connected with people on that yard.

And I said, why do I come here and talk to university students? I mean, what really could I give you from my life experience? You're on the right track, you're doing the right thing.

You're going to get a degree, you're going to get a career, but maybe you'll end up in Sacramento, you might end up in Washington. You might be a politician, you might be a judge, you might be a law enforcer, you might even be a correctional officer.

And maybe not seeing people as animals or these monsters. You're going to remember me sitting here 10 years out after a life sentence.

And here I am taking my time out so I can share my life with you just in case you're on the wrong course. And maybe you can course correct so you don't have to go through what I went through.

And then I said, most importantly, I am going to assume most of you are going to be parents one day. And what is it you're going to teach your children about people inside of prisons?

And I hope with us, not just me, but all four of us up here sharing our story, that you can share a humanistic way of explaining what incarceration is to your child. So that's what I'm hoping.

Bill Cleveland: 01:12:24

Yeah.

Henry Frank: 01:12:26

And that's where they ended it.

Bill Cleveland: 01:12:28

And Henry, I think that might be.

Bill Cleveland: 01:12:30

A good place for us to end. Are you ready to come in for a landing?

Henry Frank: 01:12:35

I'm good.

Bill Cleveland: 01:12:36

And thanks so much for coming back and giving us an update on what's been happening for you and your community over the past few years. Really appreciate it and I really appreciate your sharing your Red Tail Medicine song that we heard throughout.

And to you listeners, I'm truly thankful to those of you who've taken a few moments out of your busy lives to share these stories and conversations.

And if you're totally obsessed with what we're up to, you can explore our entire archive based on your specific interests like youth, art, cultural organizing, prison arts, Change Making media, and nine other categories in our Change the Story collection, which you can find in our show notes along with the link for our GoFundMe campaign. Change the Story Change the World is a production of the center for the Study of Art and Community.

Our theme and soundscape spring forth from the head, heart and hands of the maestro, Judy Munson. Our text editing is by Andre Nebbe. Our effects come from freesound.org and our inspiration comes from the ever present spirit of OOC235.

So until next time, stay well. Do good and spread the good word. And once again, please know that this episode has been 100% human.