Ambassador Story Projects

April, the Statewide Coordinator for the Young Women’s Freedom Center and Sister Warrior’s Freedom Coalition, passionately advocates for the rights of currently and formerly incarcerated women and girls, leveraging her own 17 years of experience in the carceral system to inspire change, raise awareness about unfair sentencing, and push for legislative reforms that promote equality and justice.

Donna is an activist and author who advocates for women and girls affected by intersectional trauma, focusing on issues such as domestic violence, police brutality, and incarceration, while also contributing to significant legislation like the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act and leading her own nonprofit, A Little Piece of Light, to empower survivors and promote healing through education and community support.

Kent Mendoza is a dedicated community organizer and activist at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, leveraging his experiences to advocate for youth justice reform, mentor at-risk youth, and contribute to initiatives that promote positive change in the juvenile justice system.

Through powerful storytelling and vivid artistic expression, Columbus-born filmmaker and playwright Twyana Davis brings light to social injustices, trauma, and the voices of the system-impacted, inspiring audiences to think beyond boundaries and embrace change.

Fernando, wrongfully convicted of murder and imprisoned for over 18 years, was exonerated in 2009, becoming the first Latin-American male in New York to be cleared on actual innocence grounds, and has since transformed his life into a powerful advocacy and public speaking career while pursuing his creative passions.

Page Dukes is a core organizer with Mourning Our Losses and Georgia Freedom Letters, and a Communications Associate at the Southern Center for Human Rights, where she advocates for awareness about incarceration while serving on boards that support families affected by imprisonment and promote equitable education access, all driven by her vision for a future where no one is forgotten or locked away.

Bobby Gonzales is a Hip Hop artist and advocate for justice reform who founded the acclaimed "Away With Words" Art & Music Program while incarcerated to help others process emotions and showcase their talents.

Artist Halim A. Flowers turned his experience sentenced to life at the age of 16 into 11 published works through his company SATO Communications. He was released in 2019 and has since earned prestigious fellowships and representation for his visual art.

Herman, the 135th person exonerated from death row in the U.S. and the 23rd from Florida, views his wrongful conviction as a lesson that fuels his advocacy for criminal justice reform, trauma awareness, and the abolition of the death penalty, as he now works with at-risk youth and speaks internationally on these crucial issues.

Jarrett, a passionate advocate for criminal justice reform, was released in 2019 after serving 20 years for a crime committed at 16, and now works to drive change in the foster care system, end life sentences for children, and improve rehabilitative resources for those reentering society, drawing from his own painful experiences to inspire others.

Michelle Cirocco, Chief Social Responsibility Officer for Televerde and Executive Director of the Televerde Foundation, has been recognized as one of the World-Changing Women in Conscious Business and is committed to using her leadership to advocate for second chances while actively volunteering in her community.

Norris Henderson, Founder and Executive Director of VOTE and Voters Organized to Educate, leverages his 27 years of wrongful incarceration to advocate for public policy reform in areas like police accountability and public defense, while actively working to uplift communities of color across Louisiana through various leadership roles and community outreach.

Paine The Poet, a spoken word artist and activist from Columbus, OH, uses his poetry and personal experience as a formerly incarcerated individual to advocate for the disenfranchised, disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline through high school poetry courses, and prepare incarcerated youth for reintegration into society.

Tyra Patterson, an artist and activist serving as the Community Outreach Strategist at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center, utilizes her lived experience to educate legal professionals, advocate for policy reform—such as the ban on life sentences without parole for children in Ohio—and integrate art into the narrative of justice-impacted individuals.

Xavier McElrath-Bey, Co-Executive Director and National Advocate of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, champions the human rights of incarcerated children by advocating for the abolition of life without parole for minors and amplifying their stories through the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network, drawing from his own experience of being charged as an adult for murder at 13 and serving 13 years in prison before becoming a dedicated advocate for at-risk youth.