“I have been a scoundrel all my life, I’ve been selfish. I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I’m grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance. I think that’s when we’re at our best: when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow. When we educate each other; when we guide each other towards redemption.
That is the best of humanity.
When he was 17, my brother River wrote this lyric. He said,
”Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow.””
June Tanoue teaching Mindfulness at Holmes Elementary School in Oak Park. Photo by Nicole Sumida
It was a cold, brisk 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the security stationed at the entrance of Cook County Jail’s Division 11.
We showed our volunteer ID and walked into Division 11’s big open atrium. I noticed signs warning not to carry guns and in the atrium there were the words Gun Locker that was above what looked like big mailboxes.
I and two other Zen Center volunteers were there to observe a mindfulness meditation class that Claire Seryak was teaching to 10 maximum security detainees.
We met Claire, the teacher, there. A white officer dressed in navy blue came to escort us to the gymnasium. He lit up when he heard we were there for Zen meditation and joked saying that it was something he could use. We walked to a door marked C - the maximum security section - and when the door opened there was an African American man with a big bag of trash. It looked a little ominous and I noticed a quick flash of fear come up for me.
We were escorted into a concrete gymnasium with a lone basketball hoop and doors that had rectangular windows. Ten African American detainees in identical worn, tan, cotton scrubs sat in sturdy, slightly beat up, plastic chairs in a big circle. I casually looked around to see if there were any guards outside the doors. I didn't see any. Here we were, 4 women in a large room, with 10 maximum security detainees.
I quickly assessed the danger factor and it seemed manageable though I was still a little on edge. My friend and co-volunteer Ruth told me once that you're absolutely safe when you volunteer at the jail. But I also remembered that a detainee had just been murdered in his cell.
I'm conscious of my demeanor when I'm volunteering in jail. I know what I reflect affects others. So I consciously worked to relax as the mindfulness teacher talked. When it came time to introduce myself, I spoke about how important the practice of mindfulness meditation was to strengthen your brain's frontal cortex which has everything to do with emotional balance, impulse control and fear modulation. I said that mindfulness meditation helps you to be aware of what you're thinking and doing and it's how you start to change habits that no longer serve you.
In the middle of my brief introduction, I noticed that I felt like crying - sobbing actually. I didn't act on it and kept talking, putting the energy of that feeling into what I was saying to the men.
The class started with three very fun mindfulness games where we paired up. I was paired with an African American man. It's a game where you have to really pay attention to what the other is doing. Then came some gentle standing yoga movements. I shared some energy medicine movement. And then they meditated for 20 minutes at the end of which I and others felt very calm and peaceful.
On the way home I told Ruth how I felt when I was doing my introduction. She asked if I knew what I was feeling? I wasn't sure why I felt like crying and thought that maybe it was because I was sad and felt for the men. She said what always gets her is feeling the indomitable spirit of people who are in such inhumane conditions. She quoted Edward Abbey who wrote, "There is a god and his name is ‘Carry On.’”
She said in Denmark and Sweden prisons are totally different than our's. Prison there is about rehabilitation and it’s proved to be effective with lower incarceration and crime rates.
I loved the statement by Joaquin Phoenix when he won the best actor award at the 2020 Academy Awards. Supporting each other is when we are at our best. Yes, we make mistakes, but we're not written off because of them and instead help each other to grow. That is the best of humanity.
Malama pono (take care of body, mind and heart),
June Kaililani Tanoue
Kumu Hula and Sensei
P.S. Keeping this slideshow of our trip to Hawaii last December to warm your winter day. The beautiful music “Color in Your Heart” and “Let's Kiss the Sky” is by my very dear friends on Hawaii Island Keoki Apokolani Carter and Yvonne Yarber from their new album “Auwe Nohoʻi Pili ʻĀina Kahi.” Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!!!