Reviews

"@KadirNelson 's brilliant cover in this week's @newyorker reminds me of Rodney Spivey-Jones’ senior thesis for @BPIBard . Here's Rodney - who is still incarcerated - from College Behind Bars. As he says, 'this past is constantly being resurrected.'"
-@Ken Burns

"First, it was very interesting to learn that Rodney’s final product was so different from what he expected to write about at the beginning. While he started motivated by his obsession over argumentation and his understanding of the way our perceptions are shaped in ways we are not aware, as he learned more, his understanding of the issue he wanted to address evolved, and his approach developed. As someone just starting to write a long research paper, Rodney’s willingness to learn more and adapt is inspiring."
-high school student in Maine

"I really appreciate having Rodney come to speak to us about his process of writing [Black Disfigurement and the American Hieroglyphics of Race]. It was a very inspiring piece and I enjoyed hearing what he had to say. . . Rodney’s work reminds me of the lines in Declaration of Interdependence: I see you, I see you, I see you. . . I also admired the passion he put into this piece of work, viewing it as more than just a school assignment. He put his whole heart and soul into it, and it was obvious he felt a strong connection to this work. I admire how he shared his processes with us, and I really enjoyed hearing him speak."
-College student in Maine 

"I thought that Rodney’s visit today was wonderful. He was one of my favorite students in the “College Behind Bars” documentary, and it was a pleasure to hear him present on his work for us. . . [M]eeting Rodney was almost like a celebrity-sighting and introduction. . . I felt that Rodney was warm, engaging, and intelligent."
-College student in Maine

"@SpiveyJones Hi really loved watching College behind bars. Hoping your essay is published internationally, would love my students to read 🙏🏾"
 "Rodney Spivey-Jones graduated from college in prison and talks about his experience + his research paper, “The Messianic Black Bodies from the Raging Waters of the Tallahatchie River to the Burning Streets of Ferguson, Missouri” listennn."  
-felicia the goat @_rvchel

"@BPIBard I’ve been thinking a lot about Rodney Spivey-Jones’s senior project “Messianic Black Bodies.” Is there anywhere I can read it? I feel like it resonates so much with what is happening today. #collegebehindbars"
-Isa Díez Oswaldo Cruz @IsabelDiezOCruz  

"@theappeal When Rodney Spivey Jones appears in the PBS Documentary "College Behind Bars" and we first hear an excerpt from his final paper, it doesn't take long to realize it's significance, giving us an unprecedented historical perspective. How do we get a copy? It needs to get out there."
- JC @juli_chiu