By Jim Gladstone
One of San Francisco’s most famous institutions is reinventing itself. On a bright and sunny June 17, 27 BATW members and guests assembled at Pier 34 to catch a ferry to Alcatraz accompanied by Sean Kelley, the Golden Gate Parks’ Conservancy’s Vice President of Visitor Programs and Services.
This was BATW’s first official visit to The Rock in nearly a decade, and Kelley, who took on his Alcatraz-focused position two years, directed our attention to new initiatives launched under his leadership in support of the Alcatraz 2030 Vision, a plan to:
Create international awareness for Alcatraz’s ability to inspire transformative thinking and experience related to incarceration, justice, Indigenous connection, and our shared humanity.
“Welcome to Indian Land: Resistance, Resilience, and Activism” richly documents the 19-month occupation of the island by members of Native American movement for sovereignty, power, and independence. The exhibit, which opened in 2025, introduces visitors to a chapter of Alcatraz’s history previously unknown to many Americans.
Kelley also oversaw significant updates to the cell block audio tour that is included with admission for all visitors. It incorporates stirring interviews with former prisoners and reflects on Alcatraz’s history in the context of the United States’ mass incarceration system.
BATW journalists also learned about a customizable new “Behind the Scenes” tour that offers groups of 10-to-30 access to areas of the island unseen by most visitors; including the opportunity to don a hard hat and explore the subterranean remains of a Civil War-era citadel hidden beneath the cell block.
Amidst Alcatraz’s sobering history, our BATW contingent found moments of uplift and optimism in the island’s surprising flower gardens, abloom with color against the prison’s harsh stone exterior.
Kelley noted that while over 1.8 million people from around the world visit Alcatraz every year, many Bay Area residents have never visited this major historical site. “Too often people take the treasures in their own backyard for granted.” Expressing his appreciation for BATW’s interest, Kelley expressed his hope that members would help make visiting Alcatraz a “must-do” for their readers.