From prison to Ph.D. and now a pardon: Hamline professor Jason Sole shares his story
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In his teens, Jason Sole fell into a gang, and ended up being convicted of three separate felonies. Today, he’s a father, husband, professor, and in the eyes of the state of Minnesota: forgiven.
On Wednesday, he went before the Minnesota Board of Pardons and heard the news he’d been hoping for. His criminal record would being cleared.
“I can’t remember all the bad days, because it feels so good right now,” Sole told MPR News the day after the hearing.
Sole worked for over a decade to clear his name.
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In a conversation that was part of the Minneapolis Interview Project, Sole recalled growing up in Chicago and feeling he had the cards stacked against him. When he was rejected from the Air Force for asthma, he was drawn into gang culture. After serving time in prison for firearms and drug possession, he began to turn his life around. But he couldn’t fully shake his past.
His record made his the subject of increased scrutiny by potential employers and police.
“They want to look at me like I'm still 19 years old with a gun,” Sole said. “I'm just grateful that it will stop.”
He said it was impatience that led him to make mistakes as a young man, and he hopes young people learn from his example to take the slow path to success. And if they make a mistake, there’s still hope.
“I just tell young people, there is a pathway towards redemption.” Sole said. “Sometimes you got to knock on doors, sometimes you got to bang on doors.”
Listen to the full conversation with Sole by clicking the player above.
