Charles doesn’t need a stage to ignite his audience. The first lines of his poem “Freedom,” read aloud to a lone listener through a Zoom screen, carry enough weight and passion to light up an entire stadium.
“Freedom, from beyond these gates is the day I await, so that I can show society that I’m not what I used to be. To finally be in the workforce, and to place my life back on course. To save my money for a retirement plan, and to contribute to my life environment as best I can. To have kids and find me a wife, and to live happy for the rest of my life.”
Having been incarcerated for 28 years, Charles, 52, a Parole Project client, has now been home for three years. If his poem was a checklist, it would be nearly complete.
On June 1, he celebrated his first year of marriage and recently purchased his first home. Employed full-time as a Chapter Organizer at VOTE, Charles is also an ambassador for the Visiting Room Project and a fellow in Parole Project’s Impacted Leaders Initiative, which provides formerly incarcerated leaders with the intentional investment necessary to build their capacity and unlock their talents.
“I never imagined serving a life sentence without parole,” Charles said. “Society had written me off, going home wasn’t even a thought I allowed myself. But when you see me beyond all of that, you see someone who’s changed.”
Alfred Marshall, a community organizer with VOTE, works with Charles and said his nickname is “the mathematician” because he is proficient in communicating with other people, specifically explaining complex ideas and simplifying them in a way that others understand.
“He’s a beautiful co-worker, he’s a good listener and his strength is that he knows how to simplify anything,” Marshall said. “He studies things and then simplifies it for all of us.”
Charles grew up in New Orleans and said he got in trouble with the law as early as 10 years old. He had a tough childhood filled with trauma and abuse. He was illiterate when he was incarcerated but prison is where his life started to change.
While incarcerated, Charles earned a Bachelor of Christian Ministry degree from the New Orleans Theological Seminary and was also a member of the Angola Special Civic Project where he drafted bills to change laws on the outside. He also tutored in prison and learned culinary arts, digital arts, and videography, in addition to writing poetry and playing the drums.
“Being in prison made me think about and see where my life went wrong,” Charles said. “That’s why I’m so adamant about doing the right thing. I’m trying to stop people from going down the wrong path. When I went to Angola and people started believing in me, they inspired me. There were a lot of things I thought about while I was incarcerated. I was supposed to be someone great and do great things, but I didn’t have the support. I think if I had gotten the right support, I would be so far ahead. I know it. I’m ambitious. But being ambitious this late in life, I don’t have a lot of time.”
Charles is making the most of his second chance. He is thankful for the support from Parole Project, happy that he celebrated his first wedding anniversary on June 1, loves his job and the community he created through the Impacted Leaders Initiative.
“Charles would be the last person to name this, but he is a natural leader. It’s a gift having him in this cohort,” said Hannah Rose Groedel, program manager of the Impacted Leaders Initiative. “Every time we convene, he is deeply present, self-aware, insightful and curious – eager to embrace learning opportunities and try new things. Working with Charles these last seven months, I am certain that – while he does not do any of this work for recognition or visibility – he will continue to be seen as someone who can engage, empower and connect people, in our larger collective pursuit of freedom. Charles has already accomplished so much, and his success has just begun.”
For Charles, his journey has brought him more than just achievement, it has brought him peace.
“I don’t see success monetarily anymore,” he said. “At one time I did, I thought if you have all the money, you’re successful. But the more you grow and mature and experience things, success is having peace of mind and being around family and friends and sharing a common goal of love and happiness. Success isn’t a material thing, it’s a state of being.”
