WORDS FROM THE DIRECTOR
T he past year has been challenging and inspiring at the same time. Despite a global pandemic, eco- nomic uncertainty, police violence, mass protest and a highly contentious election. In the midst of it all, I witness our communities come together in a way that is encouraging and it makes me proud to be a part of. We came together like never before to accomplice so much. As COVID-19 rips through our communities in what has been deemed unprecedented times. We continue to move forward. Throughout 2020 EXPO we have continued to work towards fulfilling our mission to dismantle all systems that support mass incarceration and excessive super- vision and build safe communities and healthy families. In response to COVID-19, EXPO was able to create emergency housing assistance fund with the support from our national partners FICPFM (Formerly Incarcer- ated Convicted People and Family Movement) we were able to assist 35 returning citizens and 10 families with housing assistance. We had a drive to de-carcerate in July with over 125 vehicles that drove around the capital then to the Governors mansion for a protest to reduce Wisconsin prison population do to COVID-19 spread. Our RVP (Relational Voters Program) has put EXPO in direct contact with over 350 individuals inside Wiscon- sin’s prisons.
event. They ran from Milwaukee to Madison (State Capi- tal) an over 80 mile run in increment weather. We contin- ue to lead the “Restoring Our Communities” campaign with our partners WISDOM and its affiliates. EXPO offers support and specialized leadership training and engages those impacted by incarceration in reforming our crimi- nal legal system and restoring our communities. EXPO leaders have been meeting with Wisconsin De- partment of Corrections Secretary and his Administra- tive staff, and have been instrumental in creating several changes to reform how corrections operate in our state. We have been on several of the Governors task forces to bring the lived experience to these conversations. We continue to push the message that not only do we need to be seated at the table, but we also need to set the agenda and center our voices in the work to be done. Nothing about us without us! As we continue to build our base, The Free Campaign, founded by women members of EXPO Wisconsin has grown tremendously during these uncertain times. De- veloping networks of directly impacted women around the state. Sharing their personal experiences around the issues that impact incarcerated and formerly incarcer- ated women has enlightened our communities on the issue’s women face. I would like to acknowledge some our valuable partners in the movement in Wisconsin. Thank you, WISDOM, ACLU Smart Justice, All Of Us Or None, Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership, Just Dane, Project Return, Table of The Saints, Advancement Project, and Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People and Family Movement (FICP- FM), to name a few.
EXPO have had over 30 virtual events during the past year. While conducting these webinars, townhalls and trainings to educate directly impacted people and family members on how to advocate for their loved ones, we continue to be the voices of change in Wisconsin. I want to give a shout out to Ramiah Whiteside and Kevin Cook for their efforts in bringing at- tention to the state legislature efforts to not vaccinate incarcerated people, with their “Running For Their Lives”
We were able to assist 35 returning citizens and 10 families with housing assistance. ” “ - Jerome Dillard
4
Nothing About Us without us! - Jerome Dillard
Then and Now: A Look at Two of America's Most Prolific Racial Justice Movements
The protests and demonstrations that followed characterized black Lives Matter as a grassroots movement
T wo movements. Two vastly different periods in history. One cause. The Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements were cre- ated for the purpose of establishing and furthering positive societal practices and treatment of African Americans. Though they differ in time periods, leaders and specific motivating events, they were both led and founded upon activism for justice and equality for Black people. Started in the mid-1950s, the Civil Rights Movement was a social movement with the goal to end discrimination and racial segregation toward African Amer- icans. It was known for its non-violent approaches to addressing and calling attention to acts of racial discrimination. Lunch counter sit-ins and the Montgom- ery Bus Boycott that involved 42,000 people and lasted more than a year are some of its most notable examples. Black Lives Matter is an international political and activist movement that be- gan in 2013 within the Black community to demand and support practices against violence toward African Americans. Dismantling platforms and operations that are breeders for racial violence and police brutality are one of its foundation- al pillars. In its early development and throughout demonstrations and protests, social media users rapidly increased the prominence of the movement by circu- lating the hashtag “#BlackLivesMatter.” The Black Lives Matter Network was later formed and provides an online platform for organizers and activists to share plans, resources and goals. Posts and conversations arose after the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmer- man, a neighborhood watch coordinator. Zimmerman was acquitted following Martin’s death. The protests and demon- strations that followed characterized Black Lives Matter as a grassroots move- ment whose participants were often will-
ing to radically approach their cause. For both the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements, violence of- ten ensued, even if not intended by its participants. Demonstrators during the 1950s and 60s were met with fire hoses cranked to dangerous pressures, attacked by police dogs and shot by police. Those involved in Black Lives Matter protests have been protesting police brutality both outside of and within their demon- strations. On Aug. 10, 2014, protests and riots brewed after 18-year-old African American Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer in Fergu- son, Missouri. Tensions grew between protestors and police, and officers arrived in riot gear to dispel crowds looting and vandalizing property. The following day, police deployed tear gas and rubber bul- lets at protestors. The movement again received height- ened international attention after George Floyd was killed outside a convenience store by a white police officer. More than 20 million people were estimated to have participated in the national protests as thousands of others also marched in the streets of countries around the globe. “I can’t breathe,” “No justice, no peace,” “Defund the police” and “Don’t shoot” were words that became common during these protests. With the modern-day widespread use of social media, people around the world are able to learn about and participate in Black Lives Matter demonstrations. During last year’s protests, activists in other countries plastered the movement’s hashtag as they tore down and shattered statues of historical figures who were known to be slave owners. The global attention placed on these events brought national attention to the movement and a continued understanding of the events and calls for change that fueled the Civil Rights Movement.
RESTORING JUSTICE THROUGH ADVOCACY
Elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2018, Rep. Shelia Stubbs serves the state’s 77th district. She is the first African American to represent Dane County in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Though she serves on several assembly committees, she is a most prominent advocate for criminal justice and reentry policies and programs. Her passion for activism began when she was young. Growing up, she watched her mother advocate for others by contacting sheriffs and calling mayors to bring direct attention to some of the community’s greatest needs. “This work is in my blood. I’ve lived in neighborhoods that had a lot of drugs in them, so I’ve seen the need for change.” Her first volunteer experience was through the NAACP, where she began to realize many imprisonment cases involved innocent people. “I knew people were being treated terribly.” In 1995, she became a parole agent and worked in that role for eight years. “I saw that people were being imprisoned too quickly, mainly Black and brown people, so I knew I wanted to be a voice on the outside that allowed people to get the justice they need on the inside.” She is also a pastor and believes her heart for caring expands into ministry. She strives to be a trusted voice who demonstrates active work in solving community problems.
CULTURAL COMPETENCY
looks like them and meets their age group. I think that makes a big difference for cultural competency.” TRANSFORMATIVE STRATEGIES In approaching criminal justice from transformative strategies, the CRC is partnered with programs that facilitate personal growth and development. The Urban League, The Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership and Boys and Girls Club are some of the many programs that contribute to the hub of opportunities for life reform and encouraging future progress. “I want to make prison a last resort. There are so many resources and programs available that can change someone’s life. Prison isn’t always the right answer just because it’s the traditional way of addressing crimes.” In addition to her work with the CRC, Stubbs is working to create Dane County’s first community justice center. The center will focus primarily on providing services to better serve the reentry population. “People shouldn’t be leaving prison without the resources they need to live lives better than the habits that led them to prison in the first place.” Stubbs is also creating a community reinvestment act that would allocate $100,000 from the county’s budget to assess and address the individual needs of people transitioning from prison. In January, Stubbs and other supporters funded seven grassroots organizations to conduct surveys on what the community believes a community justice center should include.
In her more than 15 years in roles of public leadership, Stubbs has backed policies and legislation centered upon equity and inclusion for groups with limited representation. One of her most substantial projects is the Community Restorative Court (CRC). As its lead sponsor, Stubbs submitted the resolution that would fund the initiative. It was started in 2013 for 17 to 25-year-olds who have committed lower-level crimes. The initiative brought in several community partners to create a pilot program to address crimes through a human services perspective. Instead of a court judge, it works with the district attorney’s office and utilizes groups of “peacemakers.” These peacemakers are community members serving as trained volunteers to ensure representation holds a place in the process of justice. “Black people are often targeted to go to court,” Stubbs said. “But 99% of the time, there isn’t a jury that
“BLACK PEOPLE ARE OFTEN TARGETED TO GO TO COURT” - Sheila Stubbs
The Role of Cancel
Students have created Facebook groups to expose racist behavior from other students.
S ocial media has long been a source of entertain- ment and opportunity to connect with friends and family and establish new social circles. However, in light of the movement against recent acts of racial injustice and police brutality, it has become a hub of platforms many people are using to expose actions, be- haviors and language that are primarily racist or sexist. Among the Black community, this has become a power- ful avenue for pursuing justice on a social level. As conversations and perspectives from the Black Lives Matter protests continue to linger, people on social me- dia have become quick to highlight racist behavior and effectively “cancel” the people behind that content. The online movement is often referred to as “cancel culture” and involves people shaming and withdraw- ing support from businesses and individuals known to engage in racially offensive behavior.
Culture in Targeting Racism
In May 2020, a white New York woman, Amy Cooper, was ridiculed on social media after a video circulated showing her calling the police on a Black man, Christian Cooper, who was birdwatching in Central Park. After Christian asked Amy to put her dog on a leash, Amy said she was calling the cops. “I’m going to tell them there’s an Afri- can American man threatening my life,” she said. Chris- tian recorded the conversation and posted the video to social media. People spread her name across the Internet as the video went viral. Many of them contacted Amy’s employer about her racially prompted actions, and she was fired the next day. In February 2021, Chris Harrison, the host of the reality TV series “The Bachelor,” announced he was “stepping aside” from his role on the show. In an interview during the franchise’s first season with a Black bachelor, Har- rison discussed photos from one of the show’s contes- tants. Her photos included images of her attending an Antebellum party three years prior. Though celebrating pre-Civil War history can be an offensive point of conver- sation for many Black viewers, Harrison’s opinion on the contestant’s photos showed what seemed to be support as he defended her attending the party. After seeing and receiving a host of posts and comments responding to his interview, Harrison announced his temporary departure from the show. In schools across the country, students have also created Facebook groups among their peers to expose and dis- cuss racist behavior from other students. In some cases where the behavior was taken to authority figures and deemed to be racist, severe consequences have resulted. Some students have had their college admission revoked and received deductions from their scholarships. Social media can often be an echo chamber for racism and hateful rhetoric. While cancel culture does not only apply to behaviors involving racism, it has become a tool many users define as an obligation of social activism and holding people accountable for their words and challeng- ing them to more productive actions.
“Social media has become a hub of platforms people are using to expose racist or sexist behavior.”
AFTER PRISON Directing a Course of Experiences
“There was a point in that
journey where I realized I had to do something withmy life” Dr. Michael Endres
Dr. Michael Endres is a clinical psychologist in training and the director of research and development at the Alcoholic Rehabilitative Services of Hawaii Inc. He is also a project director and faculty member at the University of Hawaii. Endres has been in Hawaii since 2011 but was born and raised in Madison. He was incarcerated when he was 18 and served almost nine years in prison. “There was a point in that
journey where I realized I had to do something with my life in order to overcome that gap and the effects of having a felony.”While in prison, he decided to dedicate at least the length of his prison sentence to going to school. He received a Pell Grant that allowed him to work toward college credits while still in prison. When Endres was released in 2002, one of his first tasks was filling out an application for financial aid. “I had a transcript from the classes I’d taken, so I got accepted to college right away.”
“I got out of prison and had gottenmy life back together. ” Dr. Michael Endres
He received a financial aid package that included a housing allowance and attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Of all his courses, he took a liking to psychology, which he made his major.
to the National Institute of Health and was awarded a dissertation research fellowship. After presenting his research at a 2009 conference, Endres was invited to be a postdoctoral researcher in Hawaii to study the neurological characteristics of abstinent alcoholics. “While I was doing this work in Hawaii, I came to a crossroads. I was doing all of this sophisticated research with million-dollar machines, but we still weren’t great at treating people in the worst situations and encouraging them to get better.” It was then that Endres decided to step away from his research and transition into applying his lived experiences to helping people in situations similar to when he was in prison. He worked to mentor and support these individuals and provide them with pathways to recovery while sharing his past experiences with them. Endres is now an administrator, writing grants to harness federal funding toward developing programs that benefit people recently released from prison. He is the founder of the Honolulu County Offender Reentry Program that assists people during the first six months of their release from prison. “Who would have thought that this guy sitting in a cell 20 years ago would be at this point of shaping criminal justice policy and practices? I’m humbled by the opportunity.” In the next five years, Endres hopes to become the CEO of a large rehabilitation community that incorporates some of the residential program features of the Alcoholic Resource Services.
Finding Your Calling
In 2003, Endres was involved in the McNair Scholars Program that fostered his interest in research. Over the next several years, he was accepted into a number of psychology programs. He and his mentors agreed his experiences from his time in prison gave him perspectives of rehabilitation, healing, and recovery that would be useful for a psychology career. “I got out of prison and had gotten my life back together. I knew a great way to help people going through similar situations was to become a psychologist, and that resonated with me.” He then attended Indiana University Bloomington with a five-year diversity fellowship and a $22,000 yearly stipend. He immersed himself in psychology and neuroscience research. “It seemed natural that I got into researching substance use, addictions, and criminality. I found that a lot of what my professors were saying about substance use and criminality didn’t align with what I had seen in real life.” Endres began pairing his course studies with lived experience to create his own ideas of how to assist people with recovery. “I thought about what would be good for people just getting out of prison.” He submitted his research
The Role of Social Media in
For years, the use of social media has been on an exponential rise. A study from the Pew Research Center estimates more than 70% of adults in the U.S. are active users of social media platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. These outlets have served as avenues for self-expression, unity and sharing of ideas. For Black people around the country, they have been a place to share resources and encourage Black progress and success. In May of last year, following the killing of George Floyd, Pew conducted an analysis of tweets and found nearly nine million posts contained the “BlackLivesMatter’’ hashtag in that month alone. The use of other hashtags supporting the movement also grew exponentially as investigations began for the cases of Bre- onna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and Ahmaud Arbery. On June 2, well over 28 million pictures of black squares flooded social me- dia timelines. Many of them were posted solely with the hashtag “BlackoutTuesday.” The squares were intended to show gestures of solidarity for justice following the recent shootings and acts of police brutality. As users follow people and accounts on social media, they tai-
lor their experience to consuming content they consider relat- able, useful or inspirational. Posts about hair products for Black hair, Black-owned products and businesses, wealth and finan- cial advice, healthy relationships and awareness for racial justice events are among some of the widely-shared topics. Pew reported in 2020 that 55% of Black social media users between the ages of 18 and 49 posted at least one picture that year showing support of a cause related to racial justice and equality. The study also found that 60% of Black users interact with social media to find other people who share their views about important political or social issues, compared to 39% of white users. At a time when promotions are half the task of running a busi- ness, social media provides a space for free marketing with cre- ative strategies based on a company’s individual needs. In the world of social media, outside of sponsorships, creativity ranks higher than monetary resources, giving both Black and white businesses equal opportunities for exposure. As the resources for knowledge and financial assistance are often limited among Black businesses, an active social media profile can provide some
Furthering Black Progress
compensation for this disparity. A study from the Center for Media and Social Impact sug- gested these outlets help “level a media playing field dominated by pro-corporate, pro-government and anti-Black ideologies.” Advertising through these platforms allows for consistent expo- sure as users like, share and comment on posts without having to purchase products. Customers can also tag their favorite brands in their posts and stories, instantly bringing new eyes to these products. These platforms also serve as a hub of knowledge and ex- perience for people wanting to start businesses. Owners post Pew conducted an analysis of tweets and found nearly nine million posts contained the “BlackLivesMatter’’ hashtag in that month alone.
content, respond to direct messages and host live videos an- swering viewers’ questions about specific topics. This creates an accessible source of discussions and resources to address specific needs within the Black community from those with current experience. Just as social media has brought greater attention to world- wide protests and demonstrations around racial justice, a comparable amount of attention has been placed on the ex- cellence that thrives daily in Black communities. It provides people, especially the younger generation, with an outlet for expressing their identities that may be partially concealed throughout their everyday lives as they mix with a predomi- nantly white society. Pictures show fashion trends inspired by 90s Black culture. Videos show daily routines for wellness and fitness habits. And written posts and captions provide mo- tivational insights on approaching and living in the current political climate. This all exists alongside humorous posts that bring temporary relief from the stresses encountered through efforts for activism and awareness.
Minority
D ominique Christian is the principal of the AYA Advocacy Group, an organization centered around bettering mental health treatments and access to resources in the Black community. Christian is a certified peer specialist and works to promote the importance of using lived experiences to support individual self-determination. She has experience supporting and empowering people with mental health concerns and psychological and systemic traumas. Her work primarily focuses on collaboratively treating trauma response, coping mechanisms, and subconscious programming.
Personal Challenges
struggles. She says these models are an integral part of her work because mental illness, in addition to adverse childhood experiences and substance use, are risk factors for homelessness. Serving Overlooked Communities As an advocacy group, AYA is positioned to serve the communities that are overlooked in traditional systems designed to provide assistance. “My responsibility is to show up and teach freely. If I have information, I’m going to make sure individuals from marginalized communities are aware of the information I have. Advocacy is important to me because I have experienced discrimination, implicit
Christian launched AYA in 2019 after years of learning to thrive in the midst of mental health challenges. In 2015, she was diagnosed with severe anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Something happened around that time that triggered me and made me relive a traumatic event from my childhood. I suppressed my experience and learned to operate within the mental constraints systems put me in.” She says she had distrust in the healthcare system due to a lack of minority medical workers. “During my hospitalization, I learned what it felt like to be dehumanized for being Black and a woman with mental illness.”
She refers to that dehumanization as an effect of the extensive history of Black patients not receiving equal medical care. She says it also stemmed from these patients being prescribed medication by a doctor inexperienced in listening to or addressing
“If I have information, I’m going to make sure individuals from marginalized communities are aware of the information I have.” - DOMINIQUE CHRISTIAN
bias, and racism, even as a working professional. So I know I have to fight for those who are homeless, experiencing mental health struggles, or incarcerated. I believe it is my duty to
educate Black people on helpful services that are available to them and advocate for policy changes that address constraints that have been intentionally embedded into this community to become oppressive practices.” From her work, Christian hopes others can recognize that they, too, can use their voices to advocate for changes they feel are necessary. She is also working on creating a magazine that highlights local youth who are overcoming stigmas that exist in marginalized communities. She hopes the magazine will gain recognition
their concerns. “I felt like they didn’t hear me and didn’t acknowledge what I was saying or some of the concerns I had about my mental health or the medications they wanted to put me on.” Christian says these experiences drove her to start the work she now does through AYA Advocacy. “The core of the AYA organization is not just to recognize and identify what we already know to be true when it comes to mental health and substance abuse struggles in marginalized communities. It is also to foster an environment that allows for someone to be okay and not embarrassed with who they are and to work with their available resources to live the life they see fit.” Christian also serves as a housing program manager for the Road Home Dane County. Much of her work focuses on trauma-informed and individual practices because of her lived experience with homelessness and mental health
to offer exposure to younger audiences about career fields lacking representation from the Black community.
S ylvester Jackson is the lead organizer of the EX-incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) Milwaukee chapter. During his 10 years in the prison system, Jackson experienced several situations that would become the groundwork for his advocacy within the organization. “It was after entering the system that I became aware of the injustice and violation of individual and constitutional rights. I made it a goal to go to a law library to educate myself to the fullest on how to protect my rights and those of other individuals. While incarcerated, I began filing complaints and lawsuits against the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for various violations. I realized people were being put at risk, and some were dying. I met a gentleman who had an infection in one of his toes.The medical professionals ignored his infection until his toe presented signs of gangrene. I witnessed him telling them he needed to go to the hospital, but that was not enough to compel them to allow him to go. He wasn’t released until they took off his shoe and his toe was unrecognizable. He told me that when he got to the hospital the surgeon said the only thing holding his toe to his foot was ligament tissue. The definition of the word “correctional” is to make something that’s wrong right.That’s not the case inside the correctional system. It’s set up to keep people ignorant, down, in despair, and unprepared for release. During my time in prison, I was not given the mental help that I needed, nor was I given the tools or resources to prepare for my return to the community. I’ve seen correctional officers administering insulin, though they’re not licensed medical providers. When I was released, I was only given a bus ticket. I had no extra clothes and was just sent to the streets.” Jackson was placed in the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility in 2017, when he learned about EXPO. Words from EXPO’s Sylvester Jackson A Voice Behind the Walls
Making Things Right
“I was glad to know there were organizations out there fighting on behalf of people who are incarcerated. When I got out, I spoke with Mark Rice with the organization about my interest in volunteering with them. I volunteered for seven months. An opening came up, and I was hired for it. I later started working with voter engagement to wake up the voices in our community. I once heard a slogan from someone and began reciting it during the voting engagement. It said, ‘If your vote didn’t make a difference, they wouldn’t try to take it from you.’ Once we completed that, we turned our attention to the Unlock the Vote campaign, which we’re using to challenge the state to give back voting rights to people being released from prison. Your right to vote is a right given to you because you’re a citizen. Being convicted of a crime never had anything to do with citizenship.” As the lead organizer, Jackson is pushing the organization toward increasing the assistance and services that provide educational tools for promoting awareness around voter engagement and reentry. “Right now, my main focus is on building EXPO and its membership to inform the community. We’re still finding out there are people who don’t know help is here. I’m working to connect networks that go through all spectrums of reentry. We want the community to understand what we’re doing here and let those who are or were incarcerated know they have a voice, even though they just got out of prison. It’s time they start using that voice.”
While he was incarcerated, Jackson filed a total of five lawsuits against the Department of Corrections and won two of them. His efforts for justice have encouraged his work with EXPO. “I knew this was an organization fighting for things I believe in. It let me know I wasn’t by myself. While I was in prison, I was searching for places that assisted with what I knew was going on behind those walls. I was never able to find a lawyer in this state who would represent inmates against the DOC. So I was excited when I found an organization that’s fighting for those individuals, and I wanted to be a part of that. Uniting with other people who did
time and seeing they’re like-minded was all I needed to get going. From there, it was full steam ahead.”
“We’re still finding out there are people who don’t know help is here.”
- Sylvester Jackson
Kamala Harris: The First of Many
Dressed in a purple coat and ensemble and with pearls around her neck, Kamala Harris stood beside the podium with her right hand on the Bible. A smile was pressed onto her lips as she waited to repeat the phrases of her oath of office as the newly elected vice president of the United States. She was both the first woman and Black woman to stand in that position. Born in Oakland, California to parents who emigrated from India and Jamaica, Harris grew up in the environ- ment of advocacy. Her parents were justice advocates and often brought her to demonstrations during the Civ- il Rights Movement. At a young age, she was introduced to activists like Constance Baker, Charles Hamilton Houston and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. She has said these individuals were role models whose work furthered her interest in attending law school. She boasts educational accomplishments and graduated from Howard University and the University of California’s Hastings College of Law. Once in her career, Harris became the first Black woman to serve as the district attorney for the county of San Francisco. In 2017, she was elected to the Senate and was only the second Black woman to serve in that position. Through her work, Harris has backed and sponsored legislation supporting criminal justice reform, an- ti-lynching and policies benefitting women and young girls. In her first speech as vice president-elect in No- vember 2020, she said she hopes to inspire and encourage other women across the country to shatter the barriers surrounding them in school, work and politics. “While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” During her initial campaign, Harris became one of only 11 Black women in the history of the United States to run for president. Though none of them won their
political races, the representation and historic events of their campaigns often encouraged minority voter registration and created valuable points of inspiration and progress for women and African Americans. Harris tailored her running points to Black Americans and con- sistently underlined her Jamaican and Indian roots.
“We did it, Joe. We did it.”
When she accepted Joe Biden’s request to join his campaign as vice president, she further opened a path that had been previously uncharted for minority groups across the country. “We did it, Joe. We did it,” she said after learning of their victory. While the iconic words signaled the end to efforts to win the election, they were a celebration of progress for the women, Black Ameri- cans and other minority groups who later watched the reaction. All throughout her campaign and the election, Kama- la Harris’ first name was often mispronounced, raising questions of how to enunciate the syllables containing the Indian meaning of “lotus flower.” Many Black men and women could identify with having names over which native English tongues would stutter. Hearing her name spoken correctly, however, in front of an audi- ence of the country’s top politicians and to the ears of millions of Americans on inauguration day solidified the tone of representation and respect Harris, her role models and activist predecessors have advocated for.
My mother would look at me, and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last. That’s why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us. - Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States “ ”
A PROFILE WITH NEHEMIAH REENTRY COORDINATOR AARON HICKS Leading By Experience
“People need skill sets, things that will make them more productive in their communities.”
- Aaron Hicks
A aron Hicks is a reentry coordinator for the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development. He started with the center in 2012 and works with men and women returning from prison. He is a certified life coach and does individual mentoring. Before joining Nehemiah, Hicks was a part of EXPO, formerly known as Voices Beyond Bars. He says these organizations are working to provide visible change within the correctional system and support those working to live productive lives once leaving prison. “With a lot of programs, people get certificates after completing them,” he said. “But from my personal experience, I know that’s often not sufficient enough. People need skill sets, things that will make them more productive in their communities.” Hicks was incarcerated from 1998 to 2010. While he was in prison, he knew he wanted to go back and in some way help people still who were incarcerated once he was released. “I knew I wanted to do something different. I just didn’t know what that would look like at the time.” In 2006, he was in the process of taking his case back to court. He met an attorney during that time who saw the potential in Hicks’ vision. In 2010, Hicks was released from prison and reconnected with the attorney, who introduced him to Jerome Dillard, the co-founder of EXPO. “I was in a halfway house. He came and visited. We talked and prayed, and from that time until now we’ve been working together.” In his current position, Hicks works to create programs that are situated around providing people who are currently incarcerated with the opportunity to hear from people who were once in
similar situations. “Many programs I was in were curriculum-based, which wasn’t a bad thing. But it didn’t give me the perspective of a lived experience. So it just made sense that we have individuals who can share that real-world experience of making that transition to prepare them for what they’ll need.” He says the ability to provide that perspective by working at a Nehemiah was a “game changer” and is ultimately what drew him to the organization. “It’s rare that you get a chance to see not just one or two, but a multitude of individuals who have come out of the prison system and done some amazing things since then.” Hicks wants to create a platform that gathers and shares lived experiences and the testimonies that have risen from them. “For me, I’ve been in group homes, foster homes, and detention centers. My goal is to be able to touch and communicate with those who have once been told the likelihood of them succeeding is close to none.” In planning for the center’s growth, Hicks wants to increase the depth of some of its programs, like expanding financial courses to include money management, buying houses, and maximizing income. He also plans to help further the center’s connections with outside resources, such as doctors, attorneys, and business owners who can provide expert advice on these topics. “We need people who can speak to those things, teach them, and help bring it to fruition.” He says with these programs and mentors willing to share their experiences and journeys, those coming to the center for assistance will be in positions better aligned for success.
- Aaron Hicks My goal is to be able to touch and communicate with those who have once been told the likelihood of them succeeding is close to none.”
L ast year, in the midst of economic turmoil and other effects from the coronavirus pandemic, protestors gathered in cities across the nation to demand justice for acts of violent racism and police brutality. As a result, millions of Americans and people around the world followed the progression of these cases. Many of them have since developed with updates on charges and court decisions. AHMAUD ARBERY Nearly two months after the video was leaked in May 2020, Gregory and Travis McMichael were arrested and charged with aggravated assault and for the murder of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. In late December, lawyers for the McMichaels filed several motions. One of them asked that Arbery not be called a “victim” during the trial, stating it would cause prejudice. Another motion requested the court show only one photo of Arbery during the trial and that the photo be of himself and not include anyone else. Both men have pleaded “not guilty” to charges of felony murder and malice, and their defense attorneys denied any racist motives in the shooting. GEORGE FLOYD In October, the judge assigned to the former Minneapolis officers’ cases dropped the third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin, the officer who pinned George Floyd’s neck to the ground outside the Cup Foods corner store. The ruling said evidence did not show Chauvin’s actions threat- ened anyone’s safety but Floyd’s. In early February, prosecutors filed a motion requesting a judge to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin. They also requested to add third-degree murder charges to Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng, the other three former officers involved in the case. UPDATE: Derek Chauvin was convicted by a jury of all counts against him. As of this printing sentencing is currently pending at this time. BREONNA TAYLOR In September, the grand jury indicted Brett Hankinson for three counts of first-degree "wanton en- dangerment." Hankinson was one of three officers who executed the no-knock warrant for Taylor’s apartment. The charges came after the grand jury decided the shots Hankinson fired put the people in the apartment next to Taylor’s in danger. Myles Cosgrove, another of the three involved officers, and a detective who prepared the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment raid were officially fired in January. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, the third officer involved in the case, is still on administrative reassignment. RAYSHARD BROOKS On Jan. 25, Fulton County’s chief prosecutor, Fani Willis, asked the state to transfer Rayshard Brooks’ case outside of her office. Brooks was shot and killed outside a Wendy's restaurant by Garrett Rolfe, an Atlanta Police Officer in June. Willis said the former district attorney used videoclips from the shooting in his campaign commercials for reelection. She stated the conduct was unethical and should prevent her office from handling the case. Amonth after the statement, Rolfe’s attorneys filed to dismiss the case based on Willis’ decision. ELIJAH MCCLAIN On Jan. 9, Colorado’s attorney general announced a grand jury would investigate the case of Eli- jah McClain. The 23-year-old died after police officers placed him in a chokehold and injected him with 500 milligrams of ketamine. They were responding to a 911 call about a “suspicious person” wearing a ski mask. Jacob Blake Prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against the officers involved in Jacob Blake’s shooting in Kenosha,Wisconsin. Ben Crump, an attorney for Blake’s family, said he would file a lawsuit and continue fighting for racially just practices in policing. The victim's family reported Blake was paralyzed from the waist down after the shooting, and Blake was admitted to a Milwaukee hospital. In October, he was released from the hospital and entered a spinal reha- bilitation center.
What’s the Progress? Updates on Racial Injustice Cases of 2020
Protestors gathered in cities to demand justice for acts of violent racism and police brutality
C arl Fields was sentenced to prison when he was 21 years old. In 2012, he met Jerome Dillard, who would become one of the co-founders of EX-incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO). Fields began following Dillard’s work in the community and his outreach efforts to people in prison. Fields was released after serving 16 years in prison, but his time showed him the deep injustices that run through the prison system. While he was incarcerated, his plan was to one day become a social worker. But he later decided on a different line of work after witnessing the positive impact of workers and volunteers with prison reform and support organizations. Fields is now an organizer for the Racine-Kenosha chapter of EXPO and credits the organization for assisting him during his transition from prison and allowing him to reach others now in similar positions. “There are roadblocks built into the system that complicate one’s life or completely slow them up,” Fields said. “I encountered that when I came home and it took me almost a year to get a job. While I was in prison, I followed all the steps that programs offered me. So in the end, I had dotted all my i’s and crossed all my t’s, yet I still couldn’t get a job or figure out why.” His physical disability prevented him from qualifying for many of the physically-demanding positions often offered to those formerly incarcerated. “And I couldn’t get a job that called for technical proficiency because they typically don’t want to work with people who have that scarlet letter on our jacket.”That left only a handful of jobs willing to consider bringing on Fields as an employee. Even then, he still had to work past the obstacle of having been disconnected from society for an extended time. “I was devastated. It was heartbreaking. After about 10 months, that washed over me. I was living through one of the reasons behind recidivism.”
“The term is ‘reentry,’ but there’s so much more to transitioning from incarceration than just being willing to do better.”
-Carl Fields
rights To life Restoring
He says the people connected to EXPO were heavily instrumental in his successful journey to reentering society. While the organization is primarily focused on policy change within the correctional system, its members carry vast knowledge of local service providers who can assist with transitioning from prison. “I was with them from day one. By week three, I was in Madison with a microphone in my hand, standing in front of the capital, and talking about my experience.”While his family gave him the foundational support to transition from prison, “EXPO and its affiliates were that moral and technical support to help me navigate through all of it. If it wasn’t for all of them, I don’t know where I’d be.” For Fields, EXPO has been part peer support and part civic engagement. “EXPO is about tearing down those stigmas that exist from making poor choices in the past. We point out that felonies and convictions can be life sentences for most people. EXPO has allowed me to live my life out loud and do so with other like- minded individuals.” As a community organizer, Fields helps people who were recently released from prison gain the connections and support they need to successfully reintegrate into society. He also works to encourage changes to policies that can significantly affect their progress. “When someone comes out of prison, whether on probation or not, the right to vote shouldn’t be revoked. If they’re in the community, working, and paying taxes, they should have a say in where their taxes are going and the leaders who will represent them.” Fields assists with training on building productive social relationships as well as how to function in ways that are different from their past situations. “We’re an advocacy group trying to change the rules and unpack and ultimately undo systemic oppression.” technical support
He believes his work is bringing a restorative framework to the
Wisconsin correctional system and the lives of those transitioning from it.
Crisis Growth THE and Support of BLACK-OWNED Businesses During THE Economic In a 2020 Pew Research study, 43% of Black adults surveyed reported they or someone else in their house- hold either was laid off or took a pay cut because of the pandemic, compared to 38% of white Americans who were surveyed.
able to rehire staff members that were laid off due to the financial stresses of the pandemic. For those that were not able to bring on their full staff, the increase in revenue went to paying all or portions of their building leases or purchasing prod- uct resources to keep up with the sudden surge in customer support. While customer contributions were soaring during this period, governmental assistance was at a low. As access to busi- ness funding has been historically more difficult for Black businesses to achieve than their white counterparts, receiving federal relief assistance during the pan- demic was also a struggle. With the distri- bution of the Paycheck Protection Pro- gram (PPP), only 20% of these loans were allocated to areas in the country with a lower proportion of Black businesses. The Small Business Majority group reported that 23% of Black owners who did not receive a PPP loan were told their appli- cations to receive the loan were denied, whereas only 9% of white owners from the survey were denied funding.
During this time, however, there was a surge of Black entrepreneurship and pro- motion of these businesses that served as additional sources of income for the minority group. In 2020, events around racial unrest led to heightened conversations around how to support independence and pros- perity among Black people. At a time when jobs and finances were at a spot of turmoil for many people, supporting Af- rican Americans financially became a fo- cal point. Buying from Black businesses was the most direct way to accomplish this and served as a way to increase wealth distribution among the communi- ty. It would also be an avenue to gradu- ally close the Black-white wealth gap. In June, many owners felt the surge of customers supporting their business- es. Many saw double, sometimes triple, their monthly earnings in the span of weeks. Customers slashed their frequent allegiance to large companies like Ama- zon, Target, and mall-based stores and redirected their attention to the local mi- nority shops trying to keep their doors open. Because many people were tighten- ing their wallets after experiencing the economic downturn from the pandemic, already established businesses encoun- tered difficulties in maintaining a con- sistent customer base. However, buyers showed up virtually in droves to support Black businesses in whatever ways were feasible. Hashtags like “#Blackbusiness,” #Blackowned,” and “#Buyblack” were trending on social media platforms as users encouraged supporting local busi- nesses and purchasing from Black-owned companies. Facebook donated $40 mil- lion in grants to small Black businesses across the country, and Yelp reported a 617% increase in reviews containing phrases like “black-owned.” As a result of these actions focused on financially assisting these business- es, Black companies saw an exponential climb in customer engagement, height- ened brand awareness and press cover- age along with their increase in service requests and product orders. Many were
Buyers showed up virtually in droves to support Black businesses in whatever ways were feasible.
Though federal support was generally lacking for these minority businesses, the strides of the business owners con- tinued. Black people who still had their jobs during the pandemic expanded their work hours to create businesses they ran in their time outside of their full-time jobs. Social media accounts, company websites and blogs dedicated pages of their platforms to creating informational content specifically for Black business owners. The momentum from the busi- ness support of 2020 paired with the growth of Black ownership generated a continued increase in the interest and founding of Black-owned businesses that were started with the hope of leading generational wealth and providing inde- pendence from biased financial systems.
Ramiah Whiteside is a community organizer and coordinator for EXPO (EX-incarcerated People Organizing) and is heavily involved with its RVP Program. Whiteside created the first of its kind Relational Voter Program in Wisconsin to include incarcerated men and women. The program seeks to increase voter engagement by encouraging people who are currently incarcerated to speak with their support systems on topics like voting and politics. “For the people involved in this program, it was one of the first times they were able to call home and say, ‘I don’t want shoes. I don’t want money. I don’t want anything material. I want to know what you know about politics.’ And that started Ramiah Whiteside, an EXPO Community Organizer Organizing Change
an ongoing conversation,”Whiteside said. More than 200 people committed to having those conversations with at least 10 of their friends and relatives, which resulted in 4,000 people registering to vote.
“The gist of these programs reminded me that I needed to work on myself...” restorative justice programs. “The gist of these programs reminded me that I needed to work on myself and make some changes internally Whiteside has been working with EXPO for about a year. He first found out about the program during his 25-year prison sentence. “When I was imprisoned in the early 90s, the system was much more barbaric than it is today. You didn’t have a lot to pick from if you wanted to be productive. There were a lot of distractions, so it was much easier to get involved in negativity and destructive situations than it was the positive things.”To increase his opportunities for productive change, Whiteside began seeking any available
- Ramiah Whiteside
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