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.
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