USA INTERNATIONAL MEN'S DAY TEAM SUPPORTS "INVEST IN JUSTICE" CAMPAIGN

         Massive waves of demonstrations in the streets of cities across the United States during the past five weeks in response to the death of the late George Floyd, Jr. while in police custody on 25 May 2020 has moved systemic racism and the African American community to a proverbial fork in the road.   Institutions, organizations, and individuals scramble to address racial injustice as they collectively ask:  “How do we move forward? What are the next steps?”  The “next steps” that Reentry, Social Justice, and Criminal Justice Reform Thought Leader Mr. James Muhammed Taylor (http://www.jamesmuhammedtaylor.com) envisions is comprised of (A) rethinking Reentry and Criminal Justice; (B) rebuilding marginalized African American communities through a business-driven and violence-free Reentry Zone; and (C) renewing hope for the future through mentoring and training at-risk youths and transforming them into tomorrow’s leaders.  It is why I launched the “Invest In Justice” Campaign (https://www.customink.com/fundraising/investjustice), which is the vehicle for a direct action and solutions-based initiative – a Reentry Zone in the African American community that will provide its most marginalized souls – Returning Citizens – with housing, employment, vocational and entrepreneurial training, clothing, and transportation – and at-risk youths and incarcerated young men entangled in the “school-to-prison” pipeline with mentoring and training through “Project Pipeline Prison Youth/Reclaiming Their Lives As Men” initiative. The Reentry Zone that Mr. Taylor will establish is a component of People Advancing Reintegration Inc. (PAR), an innovative inmate program which he established at Graterford Prison in 1987 to help fellow prisoners prepare for their freedom in a realistic and responsible manner. PAR, now known as PAR-Recycle Works (https://home.par-recycleworks.org/)  is a 501(c)(3) non-profit electronics recycler that employs Returning Citizens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and earns an estimated US$1,000,000 in annual revenue. 

By way of background, Mr. Taylor, a Reentry, Social Justice, and Criminal Justice Reform Thought Leader, is a member of LIFERS, Inc., an “inside-out” Criminal Justice Reform and Restorative Justice Think Tank and Chair of the LIFERS, Inc. Commutation Committee.  From a holistic "inside-out" perspective, LIFERS, Inc. (https://www.lifersincpa.org/) designs and co-facilitates implementation of research-driven and solutions-based initiatives which (A) reduce recidivism, (B) address the causative factors of crime and incarceration; (C) promote economic sustainability in marginalized communities that are a breeding ground for crime; and (D) eradicate the gravitational pull of crime for at-risk children and youth through (i) mentoring, (ii) psycho-educational and problem based learning, and (iii) the infusion of positive role models who introduce them to legitimate real-life options and help them improve their academic performance and engage in positive behavior and decision making.