Check out those San Quentin prisoners styled out in tuxedos for the prison’s first father-daughter prom, where daughters in ballgowns visited their fathers for a red-carpet affair that in many cases was their first contact in years.
There has long been an effort to clean up and reform San Quentin State Prison, and make it into what Governor Gavin Newsom called a “healing environment.” To that end, the facility has changed its name to the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and according to NBC Bay Area, it even had a three-day Pride Weekend celebration last week. Now KTVU has the news that San Quentin also hosted a father-daughter “Parent Prom,” literally rolling out a red carpet at the prison’s chapel, and providing prisoners with tuxedos, bringing in their daughters in ballgowns, and allowing some of these prisoners to see their daughters for the first time in years.
This weekend the Chapel at San Quentin was transformed into a day of memories for their first-ever Parenting Prom. The father-daughter dance had 20 fathers enjoying the dance with their families. The ultimate goal being to bridge the family divide, heal, and promote family unity. pic.twitter.com/R2eO29p7so
— CA Corrections (@CACorrections) April 7, 2025
This event actually happened three months ago, on April 5, as Bay City News reported at the time. And the costs were not covered by the prison or with taxpayer dollars. Oakland-area hairstylists and dress/tuxedo shops donated their time and materials, prisoner advocacy groups Friends of the People in Blue and The Last Mile raised private funds for the daughters’ travel, Got Light designed the prom’s dance floor and interiors, and Oakland bakery Angel Cakes provided refreshements. The prom was organized by current prisoner Tam Nguyen, as the culmination of a family communication project he’s been spearheading for most of this year…