Virginia
Kemba Smith Pradia, once sentenced to 24.5 years in prison for drug-related offenses, became a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform after receiving clemency from President Clinton, and now works as a public speaker, author, and consultant while continuing her activism through various organizations and her own foundation.

Georgia
Jessie D. Mabrey is Certified Peer Specialist and dedicated advocate for justice-impacted people and children with incarcerated parents, leveraging over 15 years of experience to connect people in reentry to resources, support, and programming. She is driven by her belief that "where you’ve been is not who you are."

Georgia
Waleisah Wilson is a passionate criminal justice reform activist and organizer who founded NewLife Second Chance Outreach, Inc. after her release from prison in 2011 to provide essential employment and entrepreneurship services and workshops for individuals with criminal convictions, while advocating for disability justice, voting rights, bail reform, faith community inclusion, an end to solitary confinement, fines & fees, mass incarceration and prison labor in Georgia, and the removal of barriers to reentry.

South Carolina
Vivian is an advocate, healer, and the Founder & Executive Director of EveryBlackGirl, Inc., a grassroots, community-based advocacy and service organization focused on prevention, intervention and creation for a world where every Black girl thrives.

Ohio
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.

Georgia
Tabatha is a full spectrum birth doula, prison doula, and abortion doula that helps incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and girls through her program, Dorcas Doula Initiative. Through her other venture, Woman With a Plan, Tabatha provides mentorship and support services while sharing her own journey of mental illness, drug addiction, incarceration, and motherhood.

Ohio
Malika Kidd is a Project Manager at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, where she leads initiatives to support economic mobility for people with criminal records, drawing on her personal experience and expertise in workforce development, education, and reentry services.

South Carolina
Niya Kenny is a social justice advocate and education reformer who uses her experience to fight the school-to-prison pipeline and challenge laws that disproportionately impact Black students.

Ohio
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.