Our Story

When I first heard those words, they resonated deeply. My brother had already served 37 years of a 50-year sentence in Michigan for an assault where the victim never appeared. His sentence, handed down after a three-day trial, felt like a cruel joke. Unfortunately, the simple solution of an anger management class was never offered. My brother, the only male sibling among seven sisters, became my primary focus for criminal justice reform. Our community is over-policed, over-convicted, and over-sentenced.

My family's experience with the justice system is not unique. Additional male family members have also been deeply impacted, including a nephew who committed suicide after being threatened with incarceration and others who faced harsh sentences for cases of mistaken identity or self-defense. These tragic events illustrate how loved ones, in moments of poor judgment or circumstances beyond their control, become snared in a very unforgiving system. No one should be defined in totality by a single transgression. These individuals are loving, inventive, and caring, with dreams and aspirations just like anyone else.

How much genius and potential is our community losing due to an intentional system designed to destroy a person's humanity and purpose through the oppression of Black and Brown people?