Mass incarceration doesn't keep us safe. It only renders already-marginalized people as irrelevant, hopeless, and powerless – even after they’re released from the physical cage of prison. We work with people to invest in the redemptive power of relevancy and the pursuit of mattering. That's what creates the safe, thriving communities we want. Incarceration is more than an individual accountability issue; it is a societal one.In 1999, just a few days before my 20th birthday, I was arrested for my role in a violent robbery attempt in lower Manhattan and served 10 years, two months and seven days in prison. It was isolating. Daunting. Hopeless. Everything around us reiterated that we were incorrigible failures, not worthy of anything better because of what we had done to be there. A series of letters redeemed me. They were part of a Pen Pal program I co-designed with a middle school teacher in my old Brooklyn neighborhood. Every time these young people shared their stories and struggles with me - and as I wrote back with my words of advice - I saw that I could still contribute to the world. Those letters also reminded me of the traumatic reasons - not excuses - that led me to make that decision in 1999. After lots of self-talk in my cell, journaling, and feeling scared every day, I decided to be a sponge and learn as much as I could. So, I earned a college degree in prison. I served as the head of the Transitional Services Center. I co-founded How Our Lives Link Altogether, a youth mentoring program. Once on the outside, I helped run Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets, a group that specializes in ending gun violence and mediation. I became a leader in the justice reform arena.But everything I learned about safety, I learned in prison. Safety comes from an empowered group of people with access to resources, a true sense of autonomy, and hope. Despite the continued realities of post-incarceration, I model (as best I can) that you can heal beyond the lie of incorrigibility. I do that as: 🎓 Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship (CCF): helping formerly incarcerated women through their wellness and higher ed journeys—and connecting them to global possibilities. 🎙️ Host, DEcarcerated Podcast📕 Author of “Bird UNCAGED: An Abolitionist's Freedom Song”People in prison are so much more than prisoners. Our work is helping people break away from anyone and anything that has brainwashed them into believing in the two words “I can’t.”