SUPPORT PAROLE PREP’S VOLUNTEER PROGRAM & HELP BRING PEOPLE HOME!

Like many Black Americans, I am directly impacted by incarceration. I felt ashamed of my history, my family’s history, laying blame on the need to survive instead of the systems that threatened said survival. Starting with the Parole Preparation Project (PPP)  as a prison correspondent, I was able to shift away from this narrative. I saw my own family in the many letters and phone calls I received from incarcerated people and their loved ones seeking support. That deep-seated shame began to transform into kinship. I did not need to define myself and those I love by the worst things that happened to us. 

It’s been a few years now since I left to pursue an MSW and work as a therapist. Frankly, I don’t know that I would be the clinician I am today without the gift I received from my time at PPP - the ability to synthesize my painful experiences and utilize them to help my community mend itself. 

Parole Prep (PPP) does just this through their work.  

Since 2013, they have trained over 900 volunteers to work alongside more than 400 people serving life sentences in New York State prison, from NYC to the Canadian border. Most of those inside have spent more than 25 years behind bars and are in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s. Volunteers support the parole process; often the only avenue many of those incarcerated will have to return to their families and communities, from beginning to end. With all that entails and nearly 100 current/active cases, PPP spends roughly $100,000 a year on related expenses. While I can never repay what PPP has given me, I hope to make a small dent by raising $5000 for the program by Sunday, June 1st, and I’d love your help over these next couple weeks. 

TY TY TY! ❤️