87: Shaka Senghor on How He Managed To Reinvent Himself While In Isolation for 7 Years in Prison

Many of our luminaries on At the End of the Tunnel have become inspirations after some very dark times, and today’s guest is no different. Shaka Senghor spent 19 years in prison, with a total of seven years in solitary confinement. 

From growing up in a loving, multicultural neighborhood, and being an honor-role student, Shaka struggled as a teenager, and ended up in the dark underworld of crack cocaine, where he was beaten, abused, shot, and ultimately convicted of murder.

To keep moving forward during his incarceration, Shaka turned to literature and writing. His first published book, Writing My Wrongs was written in just 30 days and was the catalyst to his meteoric career.

Tune in to hear the breadcrumbs throughout Shaka’s life that gave him the confidence to write, and how his prison manuscripts touched the lives of other inmates. Shaka describes the challenges he faced trying to write in prison, and the relentless hustling he did to continue as a writer after he was paroled. 

We discover the importance of manifesting (and backing it up with hard work), and how being true to yourself allows others to relate to you. We find out what his latest book, Letters to the Sons of Society, means to him, and why he chose to introduce the book with a story about his father and some sneakers. Join us in this inspiring episode, with a true luminary in this tumultuous time. 

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