Former San Quentin inmate fights for financial freedom for the incarcerated
A new art exhibit titled "The Only Door I Can Open" is offering the public a rare, intimate glimpse into the realities of incarceration, curated by formerly and currently incarcerated artists—many of whom developed their talents inside San Quentin State Prison.
The exhibit is the latest project from Empowerment Avenue, a nonprofit led by Executive Director Rahsaan Thomas, a formerly incarcerated writer and advocate. Thomas spent 10 years at San Quentin, where access to creative programs helped him rediscover purpose and direction.
"It's just a different world," Thomas said. "I had more opportunities in San Quentin, ironically, than I had growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn."
Thomas experienced a small part of a broader shift at San Quentin, California's oldest prison, which is undergoing reform inspired by Norway's progressive correctional system. The Scandinavian model emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment, and in 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a sweeping plan to transform San Quentin into a rehabilitation and education center focused on restorative justice, reentry preparation, and personal development.
For Thomas, these reforms mirror the kinds of programs that shaped his journey. Through Empowerment Avenue, he now works to provide paid writing and artistic opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, helping them build sustainable futures outside prison walls.
"Anybody that makes under $120,000 is low-income in the Bay Area," Thomas said. "So they finally made it baby, but they raised the bar. And it ain't good enough no more. And so to come home from prison, and not have an income for your first four months, and for your first job to pay $50,000 to $60,000—that's just, you're putting people in the position where it's too hard for them to do the right thing."
One of the exhibit's featured artists, Elizabeth Lozano, was recently released from prison. For her, participating in the exhibit was deeply emotional. But even more emotional were her words after being released.
"Man, I dreamed of this moment, and it's finally happening," Lozano said.
Thomas hopes the exhibit and an upcoming poetry program will shed light on the specific challenges women face behind bars, including isolation and lack of support.
"When I was incarcerated, women filled up the visiting room in San Quentin. But I heard that when you go to a women's prison, it's crickets. There's barely anybody in that visiting room," he said. "Women are the hardest, most loving, most special side of human nature that exists. And yet we undervalue them. We don't treat them the way they deserve to be treated."
Assistant Director of Empowerment Avenue, Dejon Joy, played a key role in organizing the exhibit alongside the artists, ensuring their voices were central to the project's vision.
Ultimately, Thomas said he hopes the exhibit will spark deeper conversations about systemic inequities and the need for meaningful reform.
"We have a world where there's more obstacles than opportunities. And then when people fall victim to the obstacles, we blame them," he said. "We need to turn that around—where there's more opportunities than obstacles. Then, if they fail, we can say that's on you, man. But we can't say that if we're not putting people in a position for success."
Since his release in February 2023, Thomas has dedicated his freedom to just that: expanding opportunity, challenging the narrative around incarceration, and turning the door he once could only dream of opening, into a platform for change.
