I was seated between two thirty-something African American men, articulate, nice looking and unfailingly polite. It was quite hard for me to grasp that both were convicted of murder, sentenced to life imprisonment, doing time at the Ryan Correctional Facility on Detroit’s east side.

The occasion was a Peace Day observance and the two men, along with about 50 other inmates, were gathered for the event sponsored by the prison’s Child of The Month Club. I had been invited there on behalf of ARISE Detroit!. Monitoring news developments from inside the prison, several inmates wanted to hear more about our message of uniting the community, recruiting volunteers and supporting organizations helping to improve the lives of children and families in Detroit.

These are the men society too often views as “throw aways,” representing the worst in human behavior -- gangsters, stick up men and carjackers. Yes, too many of them do return to our streets to a life crime.

Yet, others see opportunity from the bad consequences that they suffered because of their bad choices. They want to teach the “boys in the hood” to learn from their mistakes. “How can we connect with what ARISE Detroit! is doing when we get on the outside,” one asked. Said another: “I’ve done 20 years and I’m getting out in 31 days. I want to talk to some of these young kids before they mess up.”

Indeed, who is better suited to warn our young people of the perils of drugs, guns and criminal activity than these men who are paying the price for indulging in this negative behavior? What was most astounding, however, was the spirit of the event – uplifting and inspirational, much like a Sunday church worship service.

The Peace Day event involved a number of speakers. In addition to myself, Cardinal Mbiyu Chui, leader of the Shrine of the Black Madonna, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow and businessman Tom Adams shared their views on how to make peace and transform lives of desperation into lives of hope.

Unlike myself, all of them routinely make prison visits and are involved in prison ministry programs. In a dialogue following the panel presentations, the prisoners – clad in standard prison garb of blue apparel with orange stripes – criticized parents who are not parenting, talked about the need for community groups to work together to promote positive change and urged the media to do more stories of inspiration and hope to encourage good behavior from our youth. Attendance was voluntary. Only those who wanted to change their lives – or someone else’s – showed up..

The Peace Day event was just one of a number of ongoing efforts by the prisoners to do something positive, including collecting turkeys for the needy for the holidays – paid for with their own money. They also have adopted Detroit Henry Ford High School and are trying to raise money to secure computers for its classrooms.

Finally, they are seeking approval for the governor’s office and prison officials to re-establish a NAACP Youth Deterrent program at Ryan that would allow them to directly interact in the prison with youngsters who are showing signs of heading down the wrong path.

More than just the traditional “scared straight, ” programs, it would also emphasize the importance of education, family values, and yes, love of others, to break the “culture of violence” that grips our community. There are lessons here for all of us.

If these young men behind prison walls care enough to reach out to those on the outside in hopes of creating a better environment for our young people, what excuse do any of the rest of have for not doing our part as well?

Luther Keith is a former award winning newspaper editor and columnist. He can be reached at lkeith@arisedetroit.org or by phone at 313-921-1955. To learn more about ARISE Detroit! go to the website, www.arisedetroit.org.