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Introducing

Marlon, 54

Incarcerated:
23 years
Housed:
Correctional Training Facility
Located in
Washington DC
Marlon Bacote smiling in a selfie, wearing a pink Lacoste t-shirt in front of a brick house.
December 18, 20251 min read

I know what it is like to feel hopeless, I know what it is like to feel unloved by the world and even those closest to you.

That truth fuels everything I write. My books were created to bring hope and love to anyone who is searching. I write to shine the light.

The titles of my books are “Lighting the Way: Hidden Treasures,” “Journey of Redemption: Psalm 91 God’s Protection Over My Life,” and “Heartbreak: How Black Men Heal.” All of my books are available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble, and Heartbreak is also on Google Books.

Thank you to Humans of San Quentin and Ms. Diane Kahn for your amazing light.

A group of people in festive holiday sweaters posing for a photo in a room with a blue carpet, with floral arrangements in the foreground.
Marlon Bacote, 54, stands outside The Boathouse wearing a white shirt, tan pants, and a cap.
Marlon Bacote, wearing a purple Recovery Corps jacket and a pink lanyard with his name tag, stands in a crowded indoor hallway.
Five people, including Marlon Bacote, posing together indoors.
Marlon Bacote and a woman wearing a McShin Foundation shirt smile together at an outdoor event.
Marlon Bacote and his daughter in graduation gowns, smiling together in a grand hall.
Marlon Bacote and a woman posing together in a doorway.
Four people, including Marlon Bacote, wearing 'Racetrack Wide Open' event badges, pose together indoors.
Marlon Bacote and a blonde woman sit together in brown armchairs in a studio setting with the CBS 6 logo in the background.
Marlon Bacote and another man sit on a blue couch in front of a blue wall decorated with graffiti and a banner.
Five people posing for a photo in front of a sign for the Journey House Recovery Center.
Marlon Bacote, 54, and his family smile and make peace signs in a car.
Marlon Bacote, a man with a beard, wearing a blue suit and red bow tie, adjusting his jacket.

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These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

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