Ep 4: Interview with Nick Cannon & Meditation by Kempis "Ghani" Songster

The fourth episode of the Inside-Out Podcast features world-famous entertainer Nick Cannon. Nick is best known from popular television shows such as NBC's America’s Got Talent, MTV’s Wild and Out, and movies such as Drumline and Chi-raq. Nick recently spent a week at the Inside-Out Instructor Training Institute sponsored by The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Nick talks about his journey as educator, his heart for justice, and his passion to tell stories from those at the margins of society. 

 

Also in this episode, you'll hear a spoken-word piece called Lessons from the Geese, recited by Kempis "Ghani" Songster. Ghani was recently released from Graterford Prison after serving 30 years. 

 

The Inside-Out podcast is hosted Dave Krueger from the Inside-Out Center located at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. 

 

Episode Guide

 

1:30 Tyrone Werts Describes Inside-Out in 60 Seconds

 

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program facilitates dialogue and education across profound social differences. Inside-Out courses bring traditional college students and incarcerated students together in jails and prisons for semester-long learning. These courses ignite enthusiasm for learning, help students find their voice, and challenge students to consider what good citizenship requires. 

 

Since it began in 1997, Inside-Out has grown into an international network of more than 800 trained instructors from across the U.S. and several countries. Correctional and higher education institutions have partnered to create opportunities for more than 30,000 "inside" and "outside" students to move beyond the walls that separate them. Inside-Out generates social change through transformative education. 

 

We are more than a program. We are changing the world. 

 

2:27 Nick Cannon Discusses the Inside-Out Instructor Training

Nick Cannon first encountered Inside-Out as a student of Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammad of Howard University. Dr. Muhammad teaches courses at the D.C. Jail, which combine incarcerated students and students from Howard. 

 

In January 2018, Inside-Out facilitated its 52nd Instructor Training Institute. This training was held partly at the Pendle Hill Retreat Center and partly at the State Correctional Institution - Graterford, both located near Philadelphia. The training was facilitated by Ella Turenne, Lori Pompa, and the men of the Graterford Think Tank. Since 2004, Inside-Out has trained 830 educators from around the world, and the think tank at Graterford has trained more than three quarters of them. Nick Cannon was among the educators, who attend this training and he agreed to share his experiences on the podcast. 

 

19:48 Ghani's Meditation on Lesson from the Geese

In this last segment, you will hear from Kempis "Ghani" Songster. Ghani was sentenced to life with out parole when he was only 15 years old. On December 28, 2017, Ghani came home from Graterford Prison after serving 30 years. His release came in the aftermath of a Supreme Court decision, which declared it to be unconstitutional for juveniles to be sentenced to life without parole. Prior to his release, Ghani was an active leader in the Graterford Think Tank. While co-faciliting trainings and community workshops, he frequently took on the role of "the closer." He would often recite a poem or offer a meditation that captured the essence of the lessons learned during the day's gathering. As a gifted orator, and a man of deep spiritual insight, his closing words would often stir the imagination, and inspire people to persevere in the struggle for a more just and humane world. Here's Ghani reciting and interpreting a story he once heard called Lessons From the Geese.

 

Ghani recently received tickets from Philadelphia Eagles safety, Malcolm Jenkins, to attend the Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. Read the ESPN article here. 

 

 

Closing by Tyrone Werts:

The Inside-Out Podcast is a production of The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. To find out more about the program or make a financial contribution please visit the website at insideoutcenter.org. 

 

This episode produced and edited by Craig Stanton of Revival House Recording and Film.