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Hello and welcome to another edition of Life of a Lifer, brought to you by Designed Conviction, my name is Salty Candace. Today we will be speaking with Ezekiel Thomas, a man who was sentenced at the age of 16, for robbery and assault and given 50 years. Ezekiel has served 28 years of his sentence and has been busy working on a project he describes as Transformative Justice. In 2015 Ezekiel along with Debora McMillen founded the ADAM Project A Prison Outreach Initiative. The primary mission of the ADAM Project prison outreach initiative is to provide sound information on the principles of personal change that can provide a constructive basis for honest self-evaluation by those who are incarcerated. It advocates rehabilitation through re-education. A primary feature of the ADAM Project prison outreach initiative is its conceptual framework for fostering rehabilitation described by Ezekiel as Transformative Justice. visit us at www.lifeofalifer.com

Today Taylor interviews Adam Grant After his release from 27 years of incarceration in the Michigan's Department of Corrections Adam Grant decided he could not simply focus on his own life. He could not shake the fact that he had left good men (and women) behind and that Their Life Matters too. He could not shake the fact that he had hurt people over the course of his life and that Their Life Matters as well. Not only couldn't he shake those things, he realized he didn't want to, because they have been and continue to be fuel for the positive trajectory of his life. So, with the bliss of ignorance, he has embarked on a mission to change the world, one person at a time. To him, people are more important than causes, thus the name of his organization; Their Life Matters. One person at a time is how the healing will take place. One life at a time is the only way to change the world. Their Life Matters, no matter who "they" are at any given moment. This mission will StartwithTroy. This is our first campaign and the first life we are highlighting. Troy has spent the last 36 years in the MDOC, despite completely turning his life around and positively impacting the lives of countless men and women in and outside prison. As a human advocate, Adam will not rest until Troy is out here working with him, because Their Life Matters. There seems to be an appetite to address over-incarceration, second-look legislation, and other "criminal justice reform", to which Adam's response is simply, "Start with Troy!" P.S. Their Life Matters is not a moral equivalency or another version of All LIves Matter. The plight and pain of blacks in this country is undeniable and we must acknowledge that black lives haven't mattered for much of this country's history, in the minds and hearts of many today, or in the institutions that were built on segregated structures. Their LIfe Matters chooses to focus on one Life at a time and when that life is a black life it definitely matters. Please visit us at www.lifeofalifer.com

Studies show that 50% of people who have a criminal record don’t get a callback or interview for jobs they apply to, even if they are a perfect candidate. Josh, a highly educated man with college degrees kept facing this problem after he was released from a short prison sentence. Ever determined, he continuously searched for jobs he was plenty qualified for and was turned down. Josh decided to create his own business to help break the stigma of discriminating against people with records. Breaking Free Industries was born,a T-shirt company that exclusively hires those with a record to help them gain the confidence to be independent and therefore lower the chances of them reoffending and going back into the system. “Our shirts are designed by someone with a record. We also sell customized shirts, masks, and caps to businesses either as promotional items, employees to wear or as merchandise to sell to their customers...” Says Josh of Breaking Free Industries. His goal is to sell to restaurants, contractors, landscapers, coffee shops, etc. anywhere to help those in need. Tune into this interview with Taylor and Josh discussing the stigma behind hiring people with a record, what Josh is trying to do to change the narrative. He wants to help those in need of financial stability and give them confidence in themselves to succeed. Check out more about his company at https://breakingfreeindustries.com/ Visit www.lifeofalifer.com and www.designedconviction.com Thank you

With us today is Chris Cabrera, a Minnesota man who is serving a 27.5yr sentence for 2nd degree murder & 1st degree attempted murder. Chris says he knows first hand the value of the arts in rehabilitation, and that he has moved past the stage where art is simply a personal tool. He has built programs, taught others and fights vigorously to be a voice for the fallen. For 10 years Chris ran the only full time art program in the State at Stillwater Penitentiary, he wrote the curriculum and handled the $8,000 materials budget. He also co-founded The Stillwater Writers Collective, Deborah Appleman’s book titled “Words No Bars Can Hold” Chronicles its early development. In Chris’ words: “There is certainly a 'cream' that rises to the top, so to speak. There becomes a contingency of inmates that no longer represent the general population; they represent it's potential. All this happens not because of the system but despite it. The system as it stands doesn't make you better, it makes you stronger. It's up to us what we do with our strength. Unfortunately too often it's used to continue to victimize those around us because the system perpetuates pain instead of healing it.”

Today we are talking with Jim Fussell, we spoke with Jim 3 months ago about Domino Deeds a pay it forward initiative that he created. Jim is housed in the Marion Ohio Correctional Institution, the largest hotspot of coronavirus cases in the country. No other state has reported as many cases of Covid-19 behind bars as Ohio, in large part because no other states have tested as many inmates as Ohio has. As of Thursday, April 23rd, at least 12 Ohio inmates have died from Covid-19, and almost 3,800 have tested positive. Jim has tested positive for the virus, his first symptom was a rash on his lower extremities, now he is feeling the full effects of the virus. Come and join us to hear from him. Please subscribe to www.lifeofalifer.com

Today Salty Candace interviews with Jeffrey Young, a Minnesota man who was convicted in 2002 and given a life sentence for first and second-degree murder, kidnapping, and assault. When asked about his crime, Jeff said : I acknowledge and accept responsibility for my crime. I'm a member of the Restorative Justice Committee here at Stillwater prison and do what I can to the right my wrongs as much as possible. I've written apology letters and have shared my story in hopes that it prevents situations like mine in the future. My sister was attempting to exit an abusive relationship and her ex threatened her life, I responded by killing him. My childhood experience with observing domestic violence played a role in my decision making at that time. Still, over the years of my incarceration, I've acquired other response skills to intervene in domestic violence. In October 2011, Jeffrey submitted his first commentary to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder,the oldest continuously published African American paper in the state of Minnesota. His following remarks became "Reaching Out From Within," a column in which he wrote about issues surrounding his incarceration, giving readers a vivid glimpse through his eyes as he reached out from the Minnesota Corrections Facility in Rush City. Reaching Out From Within was published in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder until April 2014. For the last three years, Jeffrey has been working as an associate editor for The Prison Mirror, where he has been able to utilize Adobe Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Indesign programs. He also conducts interviews, writes articles about domestic violence, suicide in prison, incarcerated transgender people, prison healthcare, and many other stories. Jeffrey enjoys giving voice to some of the issues the men in the prison are concerned about, and the chance to highlight their achievements. Listen to what Jeffrey has to say! And Do not forget to subscribe to www.lifeofalifer.com

Today we have our guest interviewer, Paul Thorsteinson, interviewing Matt Emerzian. Matt Emerzian is a social innovator with the goal of transforming the world through service work. He is the author of multiple books, with the most recent publication being a book titled "You Matter." However, Matt isn't just an author, he is the founder and CEO of Every Monday Matters. His organization is based on the benefits of service work and the impacts it has on one's life. First widely implemented in schools, Every Monday Matters has impacted millions of students lives across the country. Recently Matt has expanded his scope of impact and is branching out to develop an extension of Every Monday Matters within the country's prison systems. Paul Thorsteinson, founding member of the Redemption Project and Restorative Justice practitioner, has been an instrument of positive change within his facility. Over his 21 years of incarceration, Paul has written and taught classes that promote growth and accountability. In addition, he has established a comprehensive re-entry system that addresses all tiers of inmate's needs and the associated resources required for successful re-entry. Remember to go and subscribe to www.lifeofalifer.com