This is the first in a four-part series that follows the outreach program by the cultural center.

For graduate student Chavez Carter, a new literary outreach program with inmates from the State Correctional Institution at Rockview brings back memories.

Carter said he grew up with friends who are now in the prison system.

"They made different life decisions," he said. "They are not that far off from a black male in my position."

Carter is one of 13 Penn State graduate students who will meet with 15 inmates starting in November. "Breaking Bread Series," sponsored by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, aims to use the three weeks to create dialogue about social issues affecting men of color.

For Carter, it's about creating knowledge and "being a part of a bigger public."

He said because of his prior experience with friends in prison, he has no reservations about visiting Rockview.

"I'm interested in seeing their perspectives," Carter said.

The students, who will meet with the inmates at the prison for an hour and a half each week, will read Who's Gonna Take the Weight? Manhood, Race, and Power in America, a book by journalist Kevin Powell. The book will serve as a catalyst for discussion about personal experiences and social issues external to campus.

Cultural Center Director Toby Jenkins said this literary program can be seen as another avenue for learning, for both students and inmates.

"We're providing a quality educational experience," Jenkins said. "We all have something to learn from each other."

Last year, Jenkins took Collective Energy, a student group dedicated to social change through art, to Rockview and said the reception was welcoming.

"We wanted to show how committed we were to help into feeding that hunger," she said of the inmates' desire to learn. "We want to reach them where they are."

Participant Megan Rogers (graduate-genetics) said she sees this as a "culturally beneficial" opportunity to help.

"I want to gain the experience of what it's like being around people who appear to be different," she said. "We're all just students trying to learn from each other."

Rogers, who said she's been guilty of playing into stereotypes about prison before, believes it is important to understand where the inmates are coming from.

"These are people who want to get positive re-enforcement," she said. "I just want to help somebody, and if somebody helps me, that's a bonus."

Jenkins said it's about the "exposure of learning."

"It's important to provide Penn State students with different community experiences," she said.

Participant Jehnel Smith (senior-liberal arts) previously worked as an officer for a correctional facility in New York and is now obtaining her bachelor's degree.

"I started out with an attitude," Smith said. "I hated the inmates. The academy makes you think they are dehumanized."

Smith said her attitude toward the inmates changed over time.

"Overall, people who are incarcerated are smart, they just made bad choices," Smith said. "[Inmates] are forced to make some of the decisions they make because of the way society is structured for men of color."

Smith, who is excited about being a part of the literary program, said there is one thing students should know.

"A lot of them don't want to be like that," she said. "But, they don't have choices. If they had positive choices, they wouldn't be where they are."

Priscilla Ortiz (graduate-applied linguistics) said this program will provide an opportunity for students and inmates to have positive dialogue.

"This is a chance to come to the table with an open mind," Ortiz said.