The Gift of Giving Back

Last winter semester, Marlon Chamberlain was invited to join Rev. Barbara Wilson, DMin’s course "Made in God’s Image: A Front Row Seat".  Marlon was joined by three other formerly incarcerated civic leaders and entrepreneurs.  This course invited students to engage in critical self-reflection, contemplation and proposed concrete action for daily living through the lens of Christian faith. Students considered a varied of frameworks or tools for reflection on what it means to be made in God’s Image, with emphasis on connecting being with doing. Students considered their personal responsibility in community through spirituality, healthy relationship building, and intentional action with corresponding impact in mind.

Marlon Chamberlain, who now serves as the SBI Reentry Advisor and Fully Free Campaign Manager, shares a short reflection on his experience:

Walking through all the locked doors definitely brought back a lot of memories of the 10 years I spent in prison.  The class inspired me to really start moving forward with goals I’ve set for myself. I was reminded of the fact that rehabilitation starts the day you enter prison, only a lot of institutions don’t offer the services or resources. People with records, like me, are told to rebuild their lives, without help, while navigating a complicated web of laws that restrict our rights. 

While in prison, individuals have to think and reflect. I was reminded of how valuable and precious time can be. I can remember my hunger for knowledge and how thirsty I was for change. I recalled how I invested in my personal development through reading and mentorship while incarcerated.  I was committed to being a transformed person upon my release. I was reminded of the excitement and relief I felt, finally, when I was done serving time and could move forward with my life.  However, upon release I soon discovered the many laws and policies in place that would remind me that I was not, or would never be really fully free. 

Listening to the guys brought me back to that time in my life.  Because of my lived-experience, I was able to connect with each one of them while listening to them describe their roots.  I was also reminded change is possible regardless of your circumstances. In these men, I could see their hunger and desire to change regardless of their confinement to pre-trial detention.  They, too, were committed to their personal transformation.  I was inspired by them.  

I will end my reflection with the most important thing, which is hope. I remember when we would have guests visit the prison, and I would think one day that’s going to be me. However, none of the visitors had ever been in prison. Seeing someone make it out and living a positive life style gives hope. Being able to share with others my experience about what work for us while in prison and the preparation for release is priceless. At the time, I remember leaving the Cook County Jail thinking to myself, I hope to have an opportunity to visit the guys again to continue to encourage them to keep growing. Today, I get to serve two of the men I was in conversation with last winter as SBI's Reentry Advisor. I am their coach, supporting them and connecting them to resources that will support them though the reentry process. I get to provide them and other SBI students with what I wished I would have had when I returned home from incarceration. It is a mystery to me how God works in our lives to bring about goodness and opportunity that serves those who have been made to be the least of these in society.  

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