By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
As Black History Month comes to an end, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services partnered with Bowie State University hosted their annual program Feb. 26 at the Jessup Correctional Institution.
The event brought together around 38 incarcerated students and 10 Bowie State students for performances and reflections on unity, education and second chances.
The program is part of Bowie State’s academic partnership with DPSCS, which began in fall 2022.
Bowie State, Maryland’s first historically Black college or university (HBCU), is the only HBCU in the state offering a four-year degree program to incarcerated individuals through its Bowie’s Prison Education Program (BPEP).
The initiative aligns with the university’s mission to empower Black communities through education, social justice and cultural engagement.
Black people comprise 37 percent of those in prison or jail and 30 percent on probation or parole, while only 13 percent of the U.S. population, making investment in BPEP especially important for the university.
Through programs like this, Maryland’s three-year recidivism rate has dropped to pre-pandemic levels, and the first-year recidivism rate declined to a record low of 13.7 percent, according to DPSCS’ 2025 Recidivism Report.
It also found that those completing college-level education while incarcerated have notably lower recidivism rates, showing education’s role in long-term public safety and successful reentry.
Performances included spoken word, a step show, and musical selections from the Triple Threat Triad, a Bowie State musical theatre organization.
Bowie students taught school pride chants to BPEP students in a show of unity, emphasizing one campus and one community.
Charles Adams, executive director of the BPEP, said the event bridges the divide between students on campus and those inside the correctional facility.
“There are walls between us, but they cannot separate us,” said Adams. “Bowie State is one campus.”
Black unity was a central theme.
“Black History month brings so many together,” said Jamel Martin of BPEP, Cohort Two. “The future of Black America is within the collective.”
“Black people working together is how our community has gotten anywhere,” he said.
Martin inspired his peers.
“We are all Black men trying to do better. The day you applied to the University, got accepted and attended your first class, you became a part of Black History,” he told them.
BPEP students recognized key Black figures such as Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman for their intellect, strength and resilience. Several shared how the program gave them hope and an opportunity to change their lives.
Former Prince George’s County Councilman Calvin Hawkins delivered the keynote, sharing his own story.
Hawkins reflected on serving six years in jail and how participating in a college course sparked hope that later led to his election to the Prince George’s County Council from 2018 to 2025.
“You have a chance to do the time and elevate your mind,” said Hawkins. “You all can do it.”
Zamonti Tibbs, an NAACP student representative for Bowie State, called the event heartwarming and left the BPEP students with an encouraging reminder.
“Your story is not finished,” she said. “This is just a chapter in your story.”