Trust, unity, forgiveness, and justice are just some of the important philosophies that are followed by a former convict, who says it was only last year that he was serving a life sentence in prison.
After spending a total of 26 years in prison for a crime he said he did not commit, Black Power activist, and writer, Watani Stiner, 68, encouraged his audience on Thursday, “to heal, respect, and build up a world we all want and deserve to live in.”
Stiner explained that he began writing to “correct historical records.” In his case, this involves him and his brother, being wrongfully accused of murdering two Black Panther members in 1969. Yet with a very spiritually in-touch outlook, he also praised the “transformative” benefits creative writing offers, and that it helped him focus on “what’s really meaningful.”
Stiner used writing as a tool to help express and expose his story of his wrongful incarceration and the harm that was caused by a warrior-like mentality found in him and fellow activists of his youth. “Without forgiveness there is no possibility of unity” and “without truth-telling, there is no possibility of forgiveness” Stiner said.
Stiner’s speech about practicing, teaching and praising forgiveness, spirituality, and non-violence received a standing ovation.Yet his creative writing teacher Zoe Mullery, 55, said “he’s not on an ego trip,” a reason she explained was behind Stiner’s high quality literary abilities.
One of Stiner’s neighbors, Joanna Macy, 86, said she’s glad USF is celebrating Black History Month through Stiner’s presence and to “let his journey enrich our journeys.”
Stiner’s speech was an event sponsored by the USF’s Sociology Department on Feb. 18.
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