Possibility | Andre Norman | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Andre Norman is the reason to believe in second chances. His tenacity and passion for people led him to start his transformational program, The Academy of Hope, a program designed to reduce institutional violence in prisons by providing an intense level of intervention while also creating a positive environment for the inmate population and staff. But this wasn’t always his calling. Nearly two decades ago, Norman was serving a 100-year sentence in prison, but he was no regular prisoner. A natural-born leader, he rose to be the top gang leader within the facility, running all the daily gang activity. After an epiphany in solitary confinement, Norman made the decision to turn his life around. He had a simple dream to attend Harvard University and become successful. Over the next 8 years, Andre worked 20-hour days to make this dream a reality. He taught himself how to read, then to study and understand the law, and then volunteered to participate in anger management groups. After winning his appeal and being armed with a GED and a dream, Andre walked out of prison in 1999, after serving 14 years. Having survived rock bottom, Norman knew he could help others do the same. He pulled from his life experiences and created The Academy of Hope and set out on his mission to teach both individuals and corporations how to turn any situation around. His solution-based recovery efforts have impacted regions, including Honduras, Bahamas, Sweden, Guatemala, Liberia, and Trinidad. He has spoken on multiple TEDx stages. In addition, his innovative strategies against gang activity and inmate manipulation have improved correctional systems across the U.S. Norman also superseded his goal to attend Harvard University. In 2015 — nearly 25 years after leaving prison —he was given a Fellowship at the prestigious institution. Soon, the doors were opened for him to become a lecturer there and beyond. Along with Harvard University, Norman has been a featured speaker at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Andre also collaborates with the London Business School Executive Education department to design unique experiential learning labs for some of its top clients, including: Prudential Insurance (UK), Bovis Lend Lease, (AUS), Deutsche Bank (Germany), British Petroleum, UK), Ericsson (Sweden), DANONE (France), KPMG and more. Through his various notable affiliations — Genius Network and YPO, just to name a few — Norman continues to spread the word about how real transformation happens. In 2020, Norman released his first book titled “Ambassador of Hope: Turning Poverty and Prison into a Purpose-Driven Life.” He also is developing various training manuals to help better serve companies and corrections.
I was not born a murderer | Quan Huynh | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Quan Huynh was convicted of murder and was sentenced to life in the state of California. But somewhere along the way, he found a path to his own inner freedom. Watch as he shares his journey and how he still wants to make an impact in the world. Quan Huynh has been described as a mighty warrior, a magician, and a mountain of goodness. He is the bestselling author of Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence. His book was written for men that are doing long or life term sentences, and in it, he shares how he found his freedom years before he was even paroled. He works as the Executive Director for Defy Ventures in Southern California, a non profit whose mission is to shift mindsets, to give people with criminal histories their best shot at a second chance. After spending 22 years in and out of correctional institutions, Quan was paroled from a life sentence in 2015 and created his first company, Jade Janitors, Inc. six months later. The following year, he received the Peace Fellowship Award for his work with the Alternatives to Violence Project.Quan has been featured in Entrepreneur, PBS Newshour, Talks at Google, and numerous other publications and podcasts.
Brilliance beyond bars | Vincent Bragg + Joe Michael Nickson | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
A look into how Vincent and Joe leveraged the belief system that creativity without opportunity leads to criminality to create an advertising agency all about collaboration over competition. After being sentenced to several years in prison, Vincent Bragg quickly learned that some of the most outside of the box thinking happens inside the box. During his incarceration he watched as his fellow convicts were able to make something from nothing – books, music, entire meals – all created between four barren concrete walls. It was here Vincent realized the cells meant to imprison them for 23 hours a day were actually breeding grounds for creativity. Throughout the rest of his sentence Vincent naturally assumed a leadership role. Using his years of experience from the marketing and entertainment industries, Vincent organized think tanks, book clubs, led a cancer walk and developed an animated series. Years later, he founded ConCreates: a creative agency that crowdsources ideas from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women. Now the same skills that put his creative teams behind bars are helping them find careers, and become contributing, creative members of society. Pure strategist, charismatic, and creative genius isn’t something you normally would think when you talk about a bank robber. But in the case of Joe Michael Nickson, a South Central LA native, his ability to turn media nightmares into marketing miracles allowed him to turn his life around. Growing up in the home of a logistics expert and a caregiver, Joe developed skills that took him places he could never imagine, and at 25 he ended up in Federal Prison. On June 6, 2005, he was sentenced to 20 years for having robbed 27 banks. While in prison he met Vincent who helped him to see the potential of his skills in the agency space and there they formed ConCreates. After 17.5 years, as he took his increased attention to detail, paired with his undeniable charisma, Joe went from navigating relationships inside to now finessing marketing tactics on the outside. Today that brilliance, once behind bars generating revenue driving campaign,s has moved beyond and the opportunities are endless.
The hustle | Cheri Garcia | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Cheri Garcia knows exactly what "second chances" mean, and she has used her life experience to help thousands of others get a fresh start. Listen to Cheri's deeply personal story about how she launched Cornbread Hustle, a staffing agency like no other. Cheri Garcia is the Founder of Cornbread Hustle, a staffing agency for second chances. Cheri is passionate about helping people with criminal backgrounds and individuals in recovery find transformation through employment or entrepreneurship. As someone who has re-invented her own life, Cheri wanted to create a company to help others do the same. Before starting Cornbread Hustle, Cheri found her first transformation and recovery through inventing a tanning bed and starting a career in the TV news industry. She later found recovery a second time, but through faith and a sober lifestyle. With a strong background in marketing and PR, Cheri uses the skills she acquired to help individuals getting out of prison rebrand themselves to become the person they want to be and get noticed by the people they want to meet.
It takes the hood to save the hood | Rudy Corpuz Jr. | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Have you ever seen a job description that suited you perfectly? Listen to how Rudy Corpuz, a Filipino gangbanger, saw a help wanted ad that turned his life around. Rudy is the Founder and Executive Director of United Playaz, a longstanding violence-prevention organization that has served the children and families of San Francisco and the South of Market since the early 90s. A native of the SOMA, Rudy came up in the 70s and 80s surrounded by the difficult realities of the neighborhood: drugs, gangs, and crime. Inspired to effect positive change and spread love in the neighborhood and City that raised him, Rudy overcame the challenges of his SOMA childhood to develop a program of child-centric community work that is still going strong. In his quarter century of service, Rudy has established himself and his dedicated United Playaz team as indispensable stewards of the SOMA community, providing safe and reliable year-round spaces for kids to learn and grow, while simultaneously working with former prisoners to build job skills and welcome them back into community.
What the Haka means to me | Daniel Darling | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Watch as Danny Darling scares away his personal demons through the Haka. Aloha, my name is Danny Darling. I spent 31 years incarcerated and 28 of those years being raised by Pacific Islanders. I was a part of the Native Hawaiian Spiritual Group and have performed opening chants for Merrie Monarch Ceremonies. I have learned to do hulas, Civa Taus, LakaLaka and Haka. Aloha Oe!
The meaning of fear | Thedo Butler | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Part spoken word, part philosophical discourse, listen to this compelling treatment of overcoming challenges and fears, both on a personal level and as a culture. Thedo is a returning citizen, having spent 30 years inside the U.S. justice system. A former, and reformed, gang member, Thedo now works to help other men and women with his same background transition back into society and to rebuild their lives as law abiding members.Thedo is now an advocate for sentencing reform, social & restorative justice and providing opportunities for returning citizens to make meaningful atonement for their past crimes and positively impact their communities. It is his desire that his actions help to prevent any other person from having to suffer from the negative impact of crime in our communities, both perpetrator as well as victim, and to heal all those impacted. This is his search for redemption.
They never saw me as a child | Xavier McElrath-Bey | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
At age 11, Xavier was locked up for his own shooting and by the time he was 13 years old, he had 19 arrests and 7 convictions. In this heart-wrenching narrative, hear about the deeply traumatic experiences that were exacerbated by his involvement with the justice system and how we continue to fail the most vulnerable children in our society. Xavier McElrath-Bey serves as Co-Executive Director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) and is a co-founder of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network. He has fought to abolish life without parole for children in America and has played a role in ending this practice in several states including Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota. At age 13, Xavier was arrested, charged with a gang-related murder, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. While incarcerated, Xavier decided to change for the better, and he was released after serving 13 years. Soon after, he earned a Master of Arts from Roosevelt University’s Counseling and Human Services Program, and, recently, he received the 2018 Justice Roundtable Excellence Award, the 2019 JustLeadershipUSA Leading with Conviction Award, and Bright Promises Foundation's 2021 Champion for Children Award.
How to get a job with a criminal record | Zachary Moore | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
What is it like to carry the scarlet letter of a prior conviction into a job interview? These strategies for transparency can help job seekers and employers overcome bias in the interview process. Zach Moore is a software engineer at Checkr, a tech company based in San Francisco. Incarcerated at the age of 15, he spent the next 22 years of incarceration attaining an Associates degree and learning to code via The Last Mile program. Upon his release in 2018, he worked as a software developer for TLM before landing an internship at Checkr, and eventually converted to a full-time software engineer. He considers himself an ambassador for those currently and previously incarcerated, and looks for ways to increase opportunity and equity in Tech. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Phoenix rising | JoyBelle Phelan | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Navigating the transition from incarceration is never easy. Hear one woman's journey of what led her to prison and the redemptive powers she found while inside. JoyBelle Phelan, a Colorado native, has been creative since childhood, playing piano, flute, violin, viola, and cello also using her vocal skills in the annual school musical and competing at State Championships as a senior in high school. She was incarcerated twice, for a total of seven years behind the walls. She passionately believes that no one should be remembered for their worst decision. She is using her lived experience to challenge the perceptions of what prison is like for women and what re-entry can look like. While inside, she completed Cosmetology, Defy Ventures CEO YNL, Art of Being Human, Inside-Out Prison Exchange, Beyond Thinking, and several arts-based workshops offered by the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative. She is the first Outreach Fellow named at the Prison Journalism Project and participates in the first cohort of PJP Journalism School. She has been a guest on multiple podcasts focused on re-entry since her release in December 2020.
Why I scream | James "JC" Cavitt | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
At 17 years old, JC never thought that he would be arrested and charged with 1st degree murder, but that’s exactly what happened. Listen to how found his way through spoken word. JC has dedicated his career to addressing educational disparities and inequalities among people directly impacted by mass incarceration. A tireless advocate for communities impacted by the criminal justice system and returning citizens. JC spent the last several years working at California State University Fullerton, Project Rebound, a program that supports the higher education and successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals. Having spent over two decades of his life incarcerated, JC brings his firsthand experience with the criminal justice system and the carceral education system, as well as in-depth expertise with working with trauma survivors in confined spaces. Much of JC’s career has been dedicated to changing the narrative about incarcerated individuals and providing pathways for formerly incarcerated students to gain greater access into institutions of higher education. JC is currently completing his Master’s degree in Social Work at CSU, Long Beach.
Time in space | Bobby Gonz | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Recorded live from S.I.R. Studios in Hollywood, listen to the incredibly talented Bobby Gonz's spoken word representation of the current and formally incarcerated community and how their worth can crumble concrete. Born in San Jose, California, Bobby has developed a raw style of songwriting while serving a life sentence since age 16. His songz reflect remorse, accountability, and the unlearning of distorted beliefs that raised him in the alleys of Silicon Valley. In 2018, in a pre-concert sharing circle with Hollywood producer Scott Budnick, hiphop legend Common, and several incarcerated individuals, Bobby poured his heart out by speaking his truth and performing an original song with only the pounding of his fist and the snapping of his fingers. Bobby then was invited on stage alongside Common and live band that very night and rocked 4,000 of his peers. Governor Brown commended Bobby for his rehabilitative efforts leading up to this night and decided to commute his life sentence! Now he is waving the flag of creative sovereignty and ownership as well as setting precedents for current/formally incarcerated artists being given a second chance today.
Challenging fears after prison | Aaron "Showtime" Taylor | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Listen in as Aaron "Showtime" Taylor, the Voice of San Quentin Sports, talks about accountability, personal responsibility, and a moment at the Rockets-Warriors game that no one knew about. After spending 26yrs inside CDCR, I came home to a big splash in October 2020. Behind the scenes, away from the bright lights, it's been a consistent struggle to balance my public and private life. However, I was prepared- in part -by programs within that taught me how to manage my emotions. This has been the key to my current success.
Three strikes! | Earlonne Woods | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Listen as Ear Hustle's co-host Earlonne Woods tells about his troubled past and why he is determined to repeal California's onerous Three Strikes Law. Earlonne Woods was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. In 1997, he was sentenced to 31-years-to-life in prison. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College and completed many vocational trade programs. In November 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne’s sentence after 21 years of incarceration. Upon his release, Earlonne was hired by PRX as a full-time producer for Ear Hustle, and he continues to work with Nigel, contributing stories about re-entry.
Freestyling | Eddie Herena + Anouthinh Choy Pangthong | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
Two friends, formerly incarcerated at San Quentin, discuss their experiences re-entering society after their release from prison. A Bay Area native, Eddie Herena, got his start as a photographer for a prison newspaper in California, the San Quentin News. His work has been published in various publications including Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Athletic, and the San Francisco Chronicle. He was also featured in SF Camerawork: Cell Signals and the Thacher Gallery, A Matter of Liberation: Artwork From Prison Renaissance, two exhibitions aimed at providing a narrative uncommon to what we see on TV and in the movies. Anouthinh Choy Pangthong is a dope ass community servant, visual storyteller, freelance photographer, and social justice advocate. Choy graduated from General Assembly's User Experience Design Immersive in 2019, which led to an internship with Adobe. While incarcerated, Choy learned frontend and backend web development, however, he has found his passion in the visual arts. He believes that society can reframe how it perceives formerly incarcerated individuals when viewed through his captured lens. Choy lives in Stockton, CA, pursuing a degree in Multimedia.
Becoming a man | Craig Waleed | TEDxSingSing 2020
For Dr. Craig Waleed, masculinity was something he was taught at an early age, but as he grew older and wiser, he started to notice some of the more toxic aspects of the masculinity he learned. He believes that toxicity played an integral role in his eventual incarceration. Now, as a professor at SUNY Brockport, Dr. Waleed wants to help his students and other young people re-define masculinity, devoid of the parts that make it toxic in the hopes of inspiring young people and helping them improve their lives and self-images. Dr. Craig Waleed is from Rochester, NY. At the age of 19, he was sentenced to 4-to-12 years in the New York State Department of Corrections for committing a violent assault against another person. During his incarceration, he became immersed in the transformative processes of knowledge-of-self and academics. Dr. Waleed earned an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts while incarcerated and began envisioning greater possibilities for the future. In 2010, he earned a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from the College at Brockport SUNY, and in 2017, completed a doctorate degree from Saint John Fisher College in Executive Leadership. Dr. Waleed wants to share with people who are currently entangled or at risk of becoming caught-up in the criminal legal system, his story of how he found a way to stay out of prison for good.
The C.H.O.I.C.E.S connection | Jon-Adrian Velazquez | TEDxSingSing 2020
Every day, we are faced with difficult decisions. We make constant choices about how to respond to problems, confrontation, celebration, and news. How impactful are those mundane, everyday choices? Jon-Adrian thinks they have the power to change our entire lives. Jon-Adrian Velasquez is the co-founder of the C.H.O.I.C.E.S program, which helps the children of incarcerated men at Sing Sing learn to think critically about situations, calm their emotions, and make healthy choices. This program has changed the lives of so many and in this incredible talk, Jon-Adrian wants to help you use it to change yours. Jon-Adrian led a 22-year crusade against his wrongful conviction while helping other innocent men obtain exoneration. Featured on NBC’s Dateline and the Wrongful Conviction Podcast with Jason Flom, Jon-Adrian opened up about his innocence in the case. Jon-Adrian splits his time between his work as a Program Assistant at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison and Co-Founder and Chairman of Voices from Within. Jon Adrian’s unique personal experiences fuel his passion for uplifting communities through his collaboration and work with prison administrators, elected officials, and community leaders.
How to handle precocious women | Marcia Reynolds | TEDxPerryvilleCorrectional 2018
There is a calling for women to speak up and take charge, yet when they speak truth to power, they encounter stigmas and bias that make them feel as if something is wrong with them. Leadership consultant and coach, Dr. Marcia Reynolds, focused her doctoral research on defining the challenges that assertive, purpose-driven women face in work and in life. Some prevail but many burnout, losing their sense of value and sometimes, their sense of self. Dr. Reynolds lived this scenario growing up when she was labeled “smart ass” “bitch” and “precocious child.” After bad choices led her to jail, it was her cellmate that taught her she was a smart, strong woman who shouldn’t be silenced. Reenergized, she earned degrees and fought her way up corporate ladders. Her struggles then helped her define the inner conflicts and restlessness that many women experience when contending with ongoing attempts to make them well-mannered. This talk shares what she found and stories from her book, Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction. It’s not only the women, but all society suffers by not appreciating what strong and opinionated women have to offer. The time is right to embrace Precocious Women. Dr. Marcia Reynolds is fascinated by the brain. She draws on her research as she coaches and trains leaders to recognize and bring out the brilliance in others through meaningful conversations. She has worked with leaders in 38 countries, including top universities such as the Harvard Kennedy School, Cornell University, and the Moscow School of Management. Dr. Reynolds is a pioneer in the coaching profession.Interviews and excerpts from Marcia’s books have appeared in many places including Fast Company, Psychology Today, and The Wall Street Journal. Marcia’s doctoral degree is in organizational psychology and she has two master’s degrees in education and communications.
How parolees are sentenced to fail | Troy Williams | TEDxSanQuentin 2016
Troy Williams spent 18 years paying his debt to society, but prison wouldn't be his biggest challenge. Hear his harrowing tale of re-entering society and struggling to stay legit. After serving 18 years of a life sentence for kidnap and robbery, Troy Williams was released from San Quentin prison in October, 2014. He is the founding Chairman and CEO of the San Quentin Prison Report, a radio collaboration with KALW. While incarcerated, Troy participated in over 50 self-help, mental health and therapeutic programs. Troy specializes in creating and producing projects designed to convert negative urban experiences into transformative tools for social change. His hard work and dedication were recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, and in November 2014, in collaboration with Nigel Poor and Holly Kernan, Troy received an Excellence in Journalism Award.
Are you in or are you out? | Dawan Williams | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016
While a state prison inmate, Dawan Williams built a relationship with his children through their schoolwork. Now, he works to stop the cycle of incarceration sharing that what his children need, what all such children really need, is their father. Williams is the Program Coordinator for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Restorative Justice Guild program. He works closely with the program participants, at-risk youth between the ages of 18 and 24, serving as both a supervisor and a mentor. He utilizes his own personal experiences with the criminal justice system to help him connect with the Guild's youth participants. A certified life-skills professional, Williams works closely with returning citizens on a day to day basis. He is also an active member of several non-profit organizations in Philadelphia which are dedicated to uniting families and strengthening the community.