“I challenge them to seek a balance of mind, body and spirit and to try to find out what their purpose is in life,” says political science associate professor Renford Reese, author of “American Paradox: Young Black Men.”

Renford Reese is disturbed by the fact that so many young black men embrace society’s stereotypes of the gangsta-thug image and that many of these same men fall victim to what he describes as an unfair and discriminatory justice system. That is why Reese, a political science associate professor, has begun making regular visits to California prisons where he educates men on the brink of re-entering society.

“When these guys come out of prison, nobody wants to take a chance on hiring them, nobody wants to trust them, and they’re ostracized by the public,” says Reese, who has taught at Cal Poly Pomona for the past eight years. “We’ve got to give them the life skills to reintegrate into society.”

During his visits to the California Institute for Men in Chino and Centinela State Prison in Imperial County, Reese speaks with small groups of inmates, whose average age is 25-30. He discusses what it’s going to take to survive upon reentering society and encourages them to use their life lessons to deter others from following a path such as theirs.

“I explain that they need to construct a template to adjust to an unfair system,” he said. “I challenge them to seek a balance of mind, body and spirit and to try to find out what their purpose is in life.”

Reese began giving monthly lectures at prisons in April, just months after publishing his latest book, “American Paradox: Young Black Men,” (Carolina Academic Press, Jan. 2004) which looks at the internal and external influences on the contemporary black male identity. For this book, Reese conducted a survey of 756 African American males from the ages of 13-19 in Los Angeles and Atlanta. The survey attempts to gauge the attitudes, perceptions and basic knowledge of young African American men regarding black public figures. In addition, Reese interviewed many of these people to find out why they, or many of their peers, have embraced the gangsta-thug persona.

“I had written a book about the problem, but I wanted to be part of the solution too,” says Reese, a 36-year-old Pomona resident.
This summer, Reese began working on another book, “Prison Nation,” which, he says, “is meant to really give a candid and comprehensive examination of the criminal justice system in the United States.”

Reese says he “can’t imagine anything being more emotional” than his interaction with the prisoners. Touched by a letter sent to him by a 31-year-old Centinela inmate who read “American Paradox,” Reese refers to the note he keeps folded and tucked in his briefcase.

“I used to love being looked up to for all the wrong reasons,” writes the former gang member, who has been serving time for manslaughter since 1993. “Now, though, I’m on a whole new script. My goal is to turn my misfortunes into a fortune. I want to help inner city kids avoid situations such as my own.”

“I look forward to your visit,” the prisoner writes. “There is so much in that book that I would like to speak with you on.”

Reese says the letter serves as a reminder of why his books and prison visits are important.

“Here’s a guy who could be anything, but he has spent his years in prison,” says Reese. “My challenge is to try to mentor, enlighten and inspire these guys who are on the fringe.”

Efforts to cut across cultural and stereotypical barriers are not new to Reese. He serves as the director of the Colorful Flags program at Cal Poly Pomona. Featuring cards with information on 21 countries and languages, the program is designed to help improve communication among members of different ethnic groups. Colorful Flags serves more than 130,000 K-12 students in 17 school districts in California, in addition to police departments, hospitals and social service agencies.

“The concept is simple, and it resonates,” says Reese. “When you’re in a diverse environment like Southern California, everyone is going to be in an uncomfortable situation where they wish they knew how to say ‘thank you’ or ‘hello’ in a different language. Colorful Flags is just a proactive and interactive approach to human relations.”

Even in his political science courses, Reese makes a point of incorporating cultural learning, he says.

“Class is more than just about the political science content,” he says. “It’s about trying to inspire my students to be universal citizens and letting them know the world does not stop at our borders.”