Growing Up on Alcatraz
12 days ago
- #Family History
- #Alcatraz
- #Memory
- The author recounts a personal mission to scatter his father's ashes on Alcatraz, where his father grew up as the child of a prison guard.
- Alcatraz was home to the author's father and his family from 1934 to 1954, offering an idyllic childhood despite its notorious prison.
- Children on Alcatraz enjoyed freedoms like roller-skating and exploring forbidden areas, creating a unique small-town community.
- Prisoners on Alcatraz had opportunities to earn privileges through work, and some interacted respectfully with the guards' families.
- The author reflects on how Alcatraz shaped his family's identity, despite their guardedness about their life there in public discussions.
- A visit to Alcatraz in the 1980s highlighted tensions between the island's grim reputation and the personal stories of those who lived there.
- The author's return to Alcatraz with his father's ashes felt like an exorcism, revealing the island's layered history beyond its prison legacy.
- Trump's proposal to reopen Alcatraz as a prison stirred the author's emotions, threatening to erase the island's complex narrative.
- The author's grandmother celebrated Alcatraz in poetry, contrasting its grim symbolism with the warmth of community life.
- The author warns against reducing Alcatraz to a symbol of fear, emphasizing the importance of diverse histories and communities.