On Thursday, April 8, students gathered in Dicke Hall to hear from Robert Faruq Wideman. Wideman, who received a life sentence for second-degree murder in 1975, was incarcerated for 44 years before his release in 2019. During his incarceration, Wideman’s brother, John Edgar Wideman, wrote the book, “Brothers and Keepers,” about the experience of growing up as an African American man in America.
The lecture revolved around family, education and forgiveness. Wideman spoke fondly of the strong relationship between him and his brother, which inspired him to work on himself, despite the harsh conditions of his imprisonment.
“I did not have to do anything to gain his love. I never lost it. That’s got nothing to do with me, though. That has everything to do with him. So how could I not love him, eternally, when he could give that to me?” Wideman said. “I began, at some point, to try to be better.”
Part of bettering himself included getting a college degree, which Wideman did while still incarcerated. Wideman emphasized how an education empowered him to improve his life and outlook. When asked how college students could contribute to the cause, Wideman told the people listening to continue working to educate themselves.
“Get this education. That’s what will make you grow. If you have that wish to help people, in whatever field, keep trying to get yourself stronger, better, smarter, more determined,” Wideman said. “The most important thing you’re doing is what you’re doing right now. Learning new things, new ideas.”
Wideman’s lecture at Trinity was facilitated by Juyoun Jang, a professor of English teaching multiple classes about African American literature. She discussed how education can transform a person’s life, using Wideman’s case as an example.
“He has transformed tremendously, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally through education and writing,” Jang said. “Education is a human right. Incarcerated people deserve to learn, and education can transform many people. Education can transform carceral environments into liberating spaces.”
The event drew a mix of faculty and students, including first-year English and communication major, Hannah Jackson. She emphasized the importance of the event for challenging perceptions of the incarcerated as merely criminals.
“I think we don’t have a lot of opportunities to hear about incarcerated persons, and I think it really helps in breaking down narratives we might have and are not aware of,” Jackson said.
Wideman ended his talk by discussing self-acceptance and forgiveness. He emphasized taking life one step at a time and living in the moment. Rather than judging ourselves for past mistakes, Wideman discussed living a positive future.
“You never know where you’ll be in your life. You can always imagine, what if this happened, what if that happened?” Wideman said. “The things we did in our life: we question them, but there’s no answer to those questions. What happened is, you turned out the way you are. We need to be happy about who we are at that point in time.
