By Andre Anderson
Over the last decade, my incarceration has blessed me with the mindset of gracious uncertainty. In just 50 short days, my transition from prison will commence as I rejoin the community to start my newest adventure in academia: graduate school! If you think that being released from prison is a celebratory event — you are mistaken. After years of meticulous planning and preparation for this day, I am as unsure as ever what my future holds at this nexus of captivity and freedom. This ambiguity is part of the carceral system and a fact that I have learned to accept as a pathway to freedom.
What I do know is this: I will be leaving this correctional facility at Lino Lakes and heading to a halfway house in Roseville where I will attend Metro State University full-time in their Advocacy and Political Leadership program. What my life will look like at this new facility is largely unknown to me. This “unknown” is my biggest fear, but it is also my biggest opportunity. I have a blue ocean ahead of me and enough of a tailwind to push me out far enough that I will have to learn to swim or risk drowning in the newness of it all.
Reentry is an odd topic as the onus is placed on me. I have everything to lose and the community has what to gain? I have come to realize that the safest landing spot from the carceral system is academia as it allows me to earn my place back in society. I have been able to obtain my AA and BA degrees while in prison as part of the Transition and Reentry through Education and Community (TREC) program.
This has allowed me to dream big and set goals for my new life after prison. I call these goals the big three: First, I will run the Superior 100-mile ultramarathon trail run in northern Minnesota. Second, I will obtain my PhD from UMN in organizational change and leadership. And third, I will build my dream home, magnum opus 21, that my father and I designed together over the years. I filter every decision and choice I make through these goals.
Reentry therefore becomes the catalysis for me to achieve my biggest dreams by first educating myself in community. I hold these plans loosely as I have learned there are three things needed to be successful in life: being flexible, available, and dependable. I will show up and keep showing up. I will face challenges with confidence and lean into my best ability — availability.
What to do when there seems like nothing can be done, yet doing nothing is not an option? This is reentry in a nutshell.