California
JJ’88 is a singer, rapper, and songwriter raised in North Long Beach, and shaped by the streets, the church, and 18 years of incarceration he began as a child. His passion for music ignited in prison, where freestyle sessions became a lifeline.

California
Thaisan and his family are survivors of the Cambodian genocide (1975-79) that saw over 3 million lives lost. He grew up in Long Beach, CA and is the second oldest of 10 siblings. He was serving Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) until his sentence was commuted in December 2018 and subsequently found suitable for parole in 2021.

Georgia
Page Dukes is a core organizer with liberatory memory and writing projects Mourning Our Losses and Georgia Freedom Letters, and Communications Associate at the Southern Center for Human Rights, where she raises awareness about the effects of incarceration and the need for agency and accuracy in conversations about people in prison.

California
Kent Mendoza was born in Mexico and came to the US at six years old. He grew up in Los Angeles where at an early age he was exposed to gangs, drugs, and violence. He joined a gang at 14 and was incarcerated at 15 and served time in a probation camp.

Illinois
NaJei Webster is an advocate and mentor committed to supporting incarcerated women and youth. Through volunteerism, mentorship, and public education, she promotes self-advocacy, legislative awareness, and successful reentry for justice-impacted individuals.

Illinois
Nicole Davis is a social entrepreneur and community leader dedicated to empowering marginalized communities. As CEO of the Talk2Me Foundation and founder of The Sisters of Support House, she provides critical resources and advocacy for justice-impacted individuals and their families, using her lived experience to drive meaningful change.

Minnesota
Autumn Mason is a Certified Doula and Peer Support Professional who advocates for families impacted by incarceration. Grounded in her own healing journey, she works at the intersection of reproductive justice, reentry, and policy change—educating and empowering communities while advancing systemic reform.

Alabama
Angelique Todd is an award-winning filmmaker, survivor leader, and visionary social impact entrepreneur committed to transforming systems through storytelling, advocacy, and economic empowerment. She is the Founder and Executive Director of WE WIN Organization Inc. and CEO of Next Level Business Services & Solutions, where she leads initiatives that equip underserved communities—particularly justice-impacted women—with the tools to achieve sustainable economic mobility.

Texas
Marci Marie Simmons is a justice reform advocate, educator, and storyteller who centers the experiences of incarcerated women and gender-expansive people. Through her work, she raises awareness about gender-specific challenges in the criminal legal system while fostering healing, empowerment, and community support for those impacted by incarceration.

California
John Medina Jr. is a program manager and criminal justice reform advocate who transformed his life through education after a childhood shaped by adversity, bullying, and incarceration. Now holding a Master’s Degree in Social Work, he supports formerly homeless adults navigating complex behavioral health challenges, including co-occurring disorders, through systems navigation, practical, community-based support, and person-centered approaches that empower individuals to take action, build belief in their ability to transform, and move forward with purpose. His work is grounded in a vision of communities where people live with dignity and autonomy, have access to the resources they need, and are not defined by systems, diagnoses, or past experiences.

Virginia
Kemba Smith Pradia, once sentenced to 24.5 years in prison for drug-related offenses, became a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform after receiving clemency from President Clinton, and now works as a public speaker, author, and consultant while continuing her activism through various organizations and her own foundation.

California
During more than 30 years of incarceration, Michelle West never stopped organizing for her freedom with the #FREEMICHELLEWEST campaign. In January 2025, President Biden commuted Michelle's sentence, citing her overwhelming support from the civil rights community, women’s rights advocates and lawmakers. In the short time since her release, Michelle has been honored by the Black Music Action Coalition, advocated for federal prison reform on Capitol Hill, was a guest speaker at Kim Kardashian’s graduation, and served as a keynote speaker at JustUs Ideas Week.

California
Dolores Canales is an activist, organizer, and the Director of Community Outreach for The Bail Project.

Georgia
Jessie D. Mabrey is Certified Peer Specialist and dedicated advocate for justice-impacted people and children with incarcerated parents, leveraging over 15 years of experience to connect people in reentry to resources, support, and programming. She is driven by her belief that "where you’ve been is not who you are."

Georgia
Waleisah Wilson is a passionate criminal justice reform activist and organizer who founded NewLife Second Chance Outreach, Inc. after her release from prison in 2011 to provide essential employment and entrepreneurship services and workshops for individuals with criminal convictions, while advocating for disability justice, voting rights, bail reform, faith community inclusion, an end to solitary confinement, fines & fees, mass incarceration and prison labor in Georgia, and the removal of barriers to reentry.

South Carolina
Vivian is an advocate, healer, and the Founder & Executive Director of EveryBlackGirl, Inc., a grassroots, community-based advocacy and service organization focused on prevention, intervention and creation for a world where every Black girl thrives.

Ohio
Tyra Patterson, an artist and activist serving as the Community Outreach Strategist at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center, utilizes her lived experience to educate legal professionals, advocate for policy reform—such as the ban on life sentences without parole for children in Ohio—and integrate art into the narrative of justice-impacted individuals.

Georgia
Tabatha is a full spectrum birth doula, prison doula, and abortion doula that helps incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls through her program, Dorcas Doula Initiative. Through her other venture, Woman With a Plan, Tabatha provides mentorship and support services while sharing her own journey of mental illness, drug addiction, incarceration, and motherhood.

Ohio
Malika Kidd is a Project Manager at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, where she leads initiatives to support economic mobility for people with criminal records, drawing on her personal experience and expertise in workforce development, education, and reentry services.

South Carolina
Niya Kenny is a social justice advocate and education reformer who uses her experience to fight the school-to-prison pipeline and challenge laws that disproportionately impact Black students.