Catalyst for Change is Cultivated in Community
- Alexzandria Welcm
- Mar 11, 2022
- 5 min read
My Welcm journey was birthed from a dream. But they say that if God gives you a big dream, you aren't meant to bring it to pass on your own.
I didn't know how I was going to provide hope or help when I had no experience in the criminal justice space, much less proximity to people who've been to jail or prison.
To make sense of my mission and my initial research, I had to plug into what people were already doing to realize the mission in their own way. But I had no connection.
But as God saw fit, he started to place some amazing re-entry organizations in my path to give me a jump start. I wanted to shed some light on them and publicly thank them for what they did for me and what they continuously do for those who are building their identities beyond incarceration.
My first stop on my re-entry journey was the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). PEP is one of the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive prison entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. They teach men inside and outside prison holistic and practical approaches to being their own boss and starting their own business. During my visit to the headquarters, I saw the extensive amount of care, thought, and strategy everyone put into preparing and supporting their participants. From the curriculum and executive volunteers to case management helping with housing and personal development - everything was done with a spirit of excellence and empathy. My favorite part had to be their Business Plan Competition. One of the men in the office participated in this competition and was running a successful business that hired people who had also experienced incarceration. His passion, commitment, and creativity were contagious. Here, I started challenging my stigmas around people with criminal backgrounds, their potential, and the importance of fueling potential to perpetuate positive change in our communities.
Pure Justice was a serendipitous stop on my re-entry journey. Pure Justice uses community organizing, civic engagement, education, and research as methods to help reform institutions and systems that perpetuate social and criminal injustices, aiming to improve the lives of low-income and working-class families. And they are the quintessential example of fueling the potential to perpetuate positive change.
I met them at a shopping event at the Houston Buffalo Soldier Museum (also a must-visit). They were there as vendors - vendors with books (a fave). At this time, I really didn't know anyone in the re-entry space (other than visiting the PEP space). But if you know RoShawn and Sasha (the Pure Justice co-founders), you know they have never met a stranger. Immediately Ro started sharing not only his story about being incarcerated but also his aspirations, dreams, and plans for empowering others. His bright energy and Sasha's contagious personality encouraged me to come to their general meetings.
Once there, I saw their genius in action - community organizing at its best. I had never seen such a diverse group of people, all ages, races, occupations, and backgrounds all in one room there to advocate for others in such strategic and empathetic ways. Everyone's voice was heard. Perspectives were tested and respected. Ideas flowed freely. Decisions were prioritized and shared with the community for the community. It was my first time being exposed to organizing around any cause. Everyone leaned in with whole hearts, full of passion and an eagerness to learn. It became clear to me that tackling a problem as big as the criminal justice system could only be addressed and changed in community - WITH community leading those initiatives.
Another stop on my information tour was the City of Houston's Re-entry Program. The City's re-entry program is housed in the Public Safety Department. Their caring, multi-disciplinary staff is committed to addressing the needs of the “whole” person with innovative, evidence-based programming and linkage to services designed to meet the needs of formerly incarcerated persons, and interrupting the cycle of recidivism.
I had the pleasure and joy of meeting LaTosha Selexman and James Bell who help run the department. Based on the way they described their staff and program participants, I could tell that Ms. Selexman and Mr. Bell not only cared about their jobs but truly cared about the people as well. They walked me through the different programs they provided - which are robust, comprehensive, and advanced. The calendar was chaulked with programs ranging from anger management to counseling, and job readiness to lifeskills.
The most intriguing service in their program was their Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT). Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that aims to reduce recidivism among offenders. Some of the pillar topics include honesty and trust, awareness, healing relationships, helping others, setting consistent goals, and persistence.
There was a keen understanding that the mental and emotional states of their participants would set the foundation for how they show up and succeed in the other programs. It imparted to me that this must also be the base and the heart of whatever I provide.
WorkFaith was another Godsend along my re-entry journey. WorkFaith provides faith-based training and coaching for anyone who desires long-term employment.
In my volunteering experience at WorkFaith, we were tasked to call their program participants for check-ins. Even though we had training on what to say and what to ask for, I was NERVOUS! I had never talked to anyone before. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what to do if the call went wrong. I didn't want to say anything insulting. Chile, I was a mess. But I followed my template. I made the calls. And on the other end, I just heard people. Some people with full hope in their tone. Some people had lost hope at the time. Each phone call allowed me to empathize more and more. I've known the oftentimes dehumanizing experience of job searching. And I know the excitement of telling someone about a new job you've landed. I used that to guide my conversation. I used that to fuel my prayers as we petitioned God to either improve a situation or continue to bless a situation. I realized any of their situations could have been me in the right (or wrong) situation. It made me see their well-being as an extension of me.
Restoring Justice is an organization I recently found out about and will soon start volunteering at.
Restoring Justice provides holistic and client-centered representation to marginalized members facing criminal charges. This includes the provision of expert criminal defense legal representation, social services, trauma-informed counseling, spiritual support, volunteer connections, and more. Their mission is to pursue Christ’s justice by ending mass incarceration one client and heart at a time. They take cases of those who are receiving inadequate legal representation and offer them client-centered, holistic representation, free-of-charge.
I was introduced to Restoring Justice through a public speaking event and one of the attendees informed me about the organization. Judging by my initial volunteer call and the initiatives I've seen so far, I'm excited to see what lessons I can learn and what hearts will be transformed -including mine.
With each interaction, my biases were challenged.
My empathy was strengthened.
My understanding heightened.
And my conviction was reinforced.
I'm grateful for starting my journey with such a strong foundation.
To you all, thank you for being so "welcming" to me.
With the first and second-hand research done, I was ready to attempt to put the technology together. Emphasis on attempt. But I'll tell yall about that later.
Until then...
Stand out. Do good. Pursue justice - together.
Alexzandria C.Hill
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