“I believe in sharing space and power within our community. I believe in validating and affirming other children of incarcerated parents. I work to show up and take action in honor of our community.”

“I help hold space for others, to provide an outlet for exploration, freedom, and liberation”

“I have worked with men, women, and children impacted by mass incarceration for the past 19 years .My work has involved leading movements to address issues linked to mass incarceration such as gentrification, Gun violence, homelessness, and education achievement.”

“My passion is to advocate for girls growing up fatherless due to parental incarceration because growing up I didn’t have an organization like DBI. I saw there was a void that needed to be filled, so I bridged that gap with my lived experience.”

“My passion and my commitment is to support children of incarcerated parents. I lead with empathy, compassion and a willingness to get the job done. My strong ability to build rapport and meaningful relationships also aids in accomplishing the overall mission, as well as developing positive influences for the children to model themselves after.”

“I am committed to becoming the change I want to see. I am intentional about using my own experiences, wisdom from successes and failures, and resources to help others ease the burden, trauma and effects of parental incarceration.”

“To be a change agent I consistently engage in my community in a positive and helping manner. Supporting the emotional needs of the youth in my city has been one of my largest accomplishments to date. I vow to continue to find ways to care for the emotional and physical needs of my community.”

“I utilize all outlets, from my own instrument (my body), to social media and “unrelated” platforms to highlight issues and solutions for my community”

“I fight for young people, particularly marginalized youth. My driving force every single day is recognizing that someone gave me a chance, an opportunity... Now it’s my time to create space and opportunity for other young people so they don’t have to experience the same kind of oppression in their livelihood.”

“I voice and stand up for incarcerated peoples and their families by sharing my own personal story of the effects mass incarceration has had on my life, which encourages communities to enter into a safe space of forward thinking and empathy with people they might have felt originally they were removed from in their experiences..”