Does Interethnic Communication Apprehension Cause Racism in Prison? A Study of Prison Communication Behaviors
Written and Narrated by Jimmie L. Gilmer Jr.
Animated and Directed by Vanessa Perez
About Jimmie L. Gilmer Jr.:
I was born in Los Angeles, and grew up in the late 70s and early 80s. These decades were the bad times during the drug epidemic that gripped the gang lands of L.A....I grew up between LA and Compton; I had a speech impediment so I did not talk much. Nevertheless, I was an excellent athlete and because of that I was able to stay out of the gang life. I was not a great student. My speech impediment, along with my dyslexia, slowed me considerably. Kids can be cruel. I grew up with both my parents, a rarity in Compton and in LA. I worked with my father. We own a company called G and Sons. A bus charter company, mainly our routes went to Las Vegas, and around the State of California. If I could turn back the clock, I would open up my ears and never close them to what my parents were trying to teach me. Because, if I had listened to mom and dad, I would not have woke up in prison one day, and I would not have been waking up here for the last 30 years. However, even in adversity, I turned it around. I have earned three Associate of Art Degrees, and I am now one semester away from obtaining my Bachelor Degree in Organizational Communication. I am a member of the Leadership Legacy Counsel, a group of men in the prison who actively raise funds for charities and needy organizations within our local communities.