In this episode of the Short Fuse podcast, Elizabeth Howard is in conversation with Mark Goldsmith, who spent 15 years as a volunteer on Rikers Island, after a 35-year career in the cosmetics industry, and John Gonzalez, who was an inmate when he met Mark and is now a successful businessman. John talks about what it was like on the inside and the threat of being sent “up top.” Mark talks about working with the men to leverage their skills when they were released, which led to the creation of a not-for-profit organization, Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO). GOSO has helped thousands of young men pursue their goals for education, employment, and emotional well-being to create a new life for themselves beyond the criminal justice system.
Mark Goldsmith, author of From Madison Avenue to Rikers Island: The Making of a Social Entrepreneur, is founder and CEO emeritus of Getting Out and Staying Out, a nonprofit that provides educational, vocational, job readiness, counseling, and other services to young men who have been incarcerated. Prior to his nonprofit work, Goldsmith was an executive in the cosmetics industry for more than 35 years, rising through the ranks at companies including Revlon, Yves St. Laurent, and Almay before starting his own company, Inventory Management Systems, specializing in trading excess inventories of well-known brand names for media time at similar values.
John Gonzalez was raised and grew up in New York City (Washington Heights). He got involved with the wrong people, which changed the course of his life, and led him into the Criminal Justice System, from 1999-2005 on multiple occasions. He met Mark Goldsmith in 2005 and got involved in Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO) which changed his life.
John went from Rikers, to 116th Street, where GOSO, was located. With Mark Goldsmith's support he was able to find employment, get married and begin a new life. He bought his first house at age 23 in Portland, PA. He is now operations manager for a trucking company, in charge of 30 trucks in the Northeast, and has maintained his sobriety and a clean record since 2007.
Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO). The vision of GOSO is world where neither a person’s race nor contact with the legal system determines their future. The mission of GOSO is to partner with people impacted by arrest and incarceration on a journey of education, employment and emotional wellbeing and collaborates with NYC communities to support a culture of nonviolence.
Alex Waters is a technical producer for the Short Fuse Podcast. He is a music producer and a student at the Berklee College of Music. He has written and produced music and edited for podcasts including The Faith and Chai Podcast and Con Confianza. Alex writes, produces and records music for independent artists, including The Living. He lives in Brooklyn can can be reached at: alexwatersmusic12@gmail.com