Roxanne Jones: My family dynamic is, you know, it was very complex back then. And I would say my relationship with my dad became strained in a different way. But my mother and I's relationship became strained because the frequency of the physical attacks or the physical abuse was such that he didn't have to accept it. She says she thought other families would see this smart little boy with all this potential in the world. "I never forget the feeling of laying on a cold bathroom floor bleeding"
I’m fascinated by the idea of snap decisions, how some can lead to amazing outcomes, and others can destroy lives. What you so often find is that nothing actually happens in a moment, there is no real snap, but rather a series of experiences leading up to it, often years in the making, were as much authors of the moment as the instance itself. And, sometimes, when those moments lead to something you’ll regret for a lifetime, you get to the next question - what is recoverable - redeemable - how do you make that happen, and who gets to write the story of your reclamation?
This is the powerful thru line of my conversation with Shaka Senghor, New York Times bestselling author of Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison. He took another young man’s life at the age of 19, served the next two decades in prison, 7 in solitary, and through a series of awakenings, began to unwind the pieces of his life and begin the process of understanding, reassembling and eventually redemption.
His latest book, Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father's Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom invites men everywhere on a journey of honesty and healing through this book of moving letters to his sons. So excited to share this 'Best of' conversation with you today.
You can find Shaka at: Website | Instagram
If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Father Greg Boyle and Fabian Debora about the power of redemption and expression.
Check out our offerings & partners:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.