2022 Fellow

Jamal not only comes from a place where he learned to mimic what he heard and saw but he grew up doing a lot which he believed were the ways of being accepted by his peers, especially the men he idolized. This led to so much pain, strife, and the all-too-common thread of abuse that many of our young people are suffering today. Jamal equipped himself with the so-called, ’Jewels’’ of his older peers while searching to find his place in circles where survival causes one to abandon one’s true sense of self.
​No longer were school and home life of interest. Eventually, the street life would cause him to spiral out of control straight to prison.
In prison serving a life sentence, Jamal would develop his love for community engagement. His skill set now enables him to reach countless lives. Today, Jamal is now a firm believer in RJ and the Transformational Prison Project. He now dedicates his life to healing those traumatized.