Posts Tagged ‘Work & Reentry’

You got to face it to fix it.
I come from generational incarceration. My father, my cousins, my sister, my brother. I was mentally incarcerated at 4 years old. I have a master’s degree in counselling, I could talk to people about their issues, but the person I needed to taIk to was myself. After I got out of prison I became a general contractor and fashion designer. I did over 900 clothing sketches in prison. I had a prayer: “Father, let there be reconciliation.” My daughters visited me in 2008 when I was incarcerated for the last time. My oldest daughter interrupted me and said, “Dad, we are in prison too. – When there is a father/daughter dance, when you are not there for all the things a child needs a father for because you are in here, then we are in prison too.” My daughters and I have a program – Dad We Are In Prison Too. We give children a chance to talk about family scars and the hurt. This gives children of incarceration an opportunity for healing and reconciliation. That’s a missing piece.

Everybody has a story to tell.
And we don’t often look like what we’ve been through. When I was young, I dreamed of being a teacher – but that’s not me. I started off as a Housekeeper at University Hospitals, and I knew I wanted to grow. I got turned down 60 times for other opportunities. But I got turned down for a reason. When I got accepted as a community health worker – I knew this was the reason. I enjoy helping people, still teaching – but adults. You have to commit to your career growth. You have to be tenacious.

I am living proof that you can come from nothing and be something.
I am a product of the foster care system, and I raised my children as a single Mom. I faced obstacles and I found resources. Now I get to tell how I did it. My life experience proves that things can get better, that you have choices. After 10 years in one career, I left on my own terms, in good standing. I wanted to find something different for the next phase in my life. And I did. I remember back to my time at Towards Employment. It was not always easy- I had to learn to be disciplined. I remember some things so well – a staff member always said, “Dress for the job ahead.” And I always have.

Lived experience matters.
When I first came home, I worked in a shelter. I knew shelters exited. I had heard about them. But that is not experience. During my time in the shelter, I learned a lot about being homeless and about nonprofits in Cleveland. This has given me a special connection to people and a knowledge of when and where resources are needed – I do know what people go through, because I went through it. Everybody can feel that they go through things by themselves. That no one knows what they are facing. That is where experience comes in – and why stories matter. When we see ourselves in each other, no one is alone.