The following article is written from the perspective of Amlak-I Foley, GEO Post-Release Case Manager and GEO Continuum of Care Alumni.
Waking up on Monday was beyond a blessing for me. First, I was free, and secondly, it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day. I began my day knowing that two of my close comrades and I would be honoring the legendary Reverend King. As Rev. King did, we wanted to champion human and civil rights in our community through service. We planned on giving our service to the communities we came from to help raise awareness to humanity's never-ending plight. This man that we planned to honor was a man who was able to bring together the hearts and minds of some of the most influential religious and political figures during the turbulent Civil Rights era. For so many men, like ourselves, we saw his collective message and it made us feel as if there was a chance to be better as humans. With this message in mind, myself and two of the men I did time with decided to help clean up the streets as our local MLK Day Parade was going on.
Now here we were, three men who had collectively served 55 years in Florida prisons, being a solution to our communities. Today was never about us or what we collectively struggled through; but rather about learning how to better give selflessly to our fellow human family. So, it was in the spirit of Dr. King that we walked up and down the Historic Sistrunk Avenue in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, doing our best to gather each piece of trash that found its way to the ground.
One of my comrades who assisted in the neighborhood cleanup is a man I have the honor of working alongside named Mr. Darrell Guildford. Mr. Guilford did 26 years yet dedicated most of that time to helping men get out of prison by appealing their cases. He eventually began working for a law firm, as a certified paralegal, while still on the inside through a Work Release program.
Working in the Post-Release Call Center has been an amazing addition to both of our lives as we are surrounded by leadership who have shown us that our insight matters to the ultimate ideal of true integrated reentry. In essence, Rev. King showed us that there was a second chance through his message; and was through The GEO Group that my comrade and I were afforded a second chance, giving us an opportunity to build a career doing exactly what we have been doing already, giving back. As our Director Craig Spatara always says, “You guys have one job, to motivate and advocate.”
Many people don’t realize that MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. For us, it was an honor to spend MLK Day serving our community. Now we continue to honor his legacy by our service everyday as Post-Release Case Managers, effectively assisting individuals in their efforts of changing their behaviors, ultimately changing their lives.
