DEVAUGHN: RHODES SCHOLAR
understood why my dad could not come home. On those Saturdays, I waded in the vicissitudes of joy and misery. It was these early visits to prison–– witnessing the unpleasant condi- tions, experiencing the sadness of the visiting room every time visiting hours expired, and recog- nizing that so many men behind bars looked like me––that sparked within me a desire to consider what society’s standards of forgiveness should be for the condemned. It was this desire that moved me to work on issues of clemency and prison advocacy with the American Civil Liberties Union and Governor Gavin Newsom. Learning about the struggles of prisoners clarified my commitments: I have to fight for prisoners because no citizen, not even those condemned, should be below the law. Furthermore, our collective dignity is implicated in how We regard the dignity of those condemned among us—of those least among us. In fighting for the dignity of prisoners, I fight for Our dignity––the dignity of all the people—too. The Journal: What sparked your interest in the visual and perform- ing arts? (If you have any photos to share in this space, that would be ideal). DeVaughn: From an early age, I have always loved performing arts. Singing, dancing, and acting is at the core of the Black tradition I love dearly. Performing arts afford- ed me the opportunity to express myself outside the confines of soci- ety and inside the refuge of a beat, a melody, a script, or even a stage. From performing in a State Farm National Commercial as Cliff/ Chris Paul with Chris Paul, to star- ring in a Nickelodeon pilot named “Sketch Show,” to performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival starring as the first Black Zorro in Zorro the
DeVaughn pictured with his mom, Sheree Lewis-DeVaughn (right) and dad, Elijah DeVaughn, Sr. Below: DeVaughn pictured with his grandmother, Mary-Lynn Glasgow.
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