Davonte Green

So a few years ago, I was facilitating a workshop inside of a level three men's prison right here in California.

Oftentimes, we had about 70 participants.

Men serving sentences anywhere between three to 38 years.

As we began our workshop,

like any good workshop, start with an activity.

The activity that we started with is known as cross the line.

You might be familiar with it, but the way it works is I ask a question and if it resonates, then a participant steps forward and cross the line.

The question that I asked was to step forward and cross the line if you are currently serving a sentence

from a crime that you committed that took you 60 seconds or less.

An overwhelming amount of participants took a step forward.

And not just one of the trainings, but in every one of them.

Wow.

I was astonished.

In less than 60 seconds, these men had lost so many years of their lives.

And they've also created victims,

and they've impacted their own families and communities, all because they couldn't pause and were most likely acting in alignment with what they think it is to be a real man.

See, I grew up right here in Inglewood, and Inglewood, like many cities across the country, has been impacted by that invisible yet potent misconception of masculinity and what it means to be a real man.

Culturally, we perpetuate this through music, entertainment,

all influencing how men and boys view masculinity and what it means to be a real man.

Now, sadly, I've lost too many of my own loved ones due to this misconception.