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What do I choose? I choose to make better decisions and engage with my community through rehabilitative programs.

As I have spent time in San Quentin, I’ve begun to learn more about myself—through past traumas, regrets, resentments, personal fears, and prejudiced beliefs. What has all of this taught me? I am human. I am sentient. I am alive. I am accountable for my actions, and, like every human on this planet, I am imperfect. I don’t deny my past, nor can I deny the choices I made.

However, while I cannot change the past or the choices I made then, I am fully capable of making choices now. I choose how I act, think, believe, and respond in this moment. What do I choose? I choose to make better decisions and engage with my community through rehabilitative programs. I choose to think rationally by learning more about myself and the world around me. I believe in myself and what I’m capable of achieving, and I respond with love and kindness toward others, just as my family has shown me love.

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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.

📬 Join the Mail Club

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