The Importance of Community | Kentel Weaver | TEDxTufts

Key Concepts

• Re-entry challenges for formerly incarcerated individuals: employment, housing, societal stigma.
• Recidivism: the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend.
• The importance of opportunity and community support for successful re-entry.
• The role of individual actions in creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
• Fair chance: the idea that everyone, including those with a criminal record, deserves a fair opportunity to succeed.

Re-entry Challenges and the Cycle of Recidivism

The speaker begins by acknowledging a past, conflicted feeling of excitement when incarcerated friends returned to prison, stemming from his own life sentence and the desire for familiar company. However, he also questioned the reasons for their return, highlighting the systemic challenges faced by formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Employment Barriers: Many returning citizens struggle to find jobs due to their criminal records. The speaker recounts his own experience of being "ghosted" after a job interview, strongly suspecting his background was the reason.
• Housing Discrimination: Finding suitable housing is another significant hurdle, with landlords often denying applications based on criminal history.
• The Weight of Expectations and Hopelessness: The speaker emphasizes the immense pressure from loved ones and the internal struggle with feelings of failure, leading to a sense of hopelessness.
• Recidivism Statistics: The speaker cites the statistic that 70% of people released from prison return within three years, underscoring the severity of the problem. He argues that a "second chance only begets success if it's in tandem with the meaningful opportunity."

The Turning Point: Education and Opportunity

The speaker describes a pivotal moment when Hillary Bender, a professor from Tufts University, introduced a lecture series at the medium-security prison where he was incarcerated.

• The Tufts/Bunker Hill Partnership: Hillary Bender offered a degree program in partnership with Bunker Hill Community College, allowing inmates to earn an associate's degree in liberal arts and a bachelor's degree in civic studies.
• Overcoming Skepticism: Initially, the speaker was skeptical, given the prison's reputation as a place where rehabilitation efforts often failed.
• Seizing the Opportunity: Despite his doubts, he enrolled in the program, recognizing it as a "once in a-lifetime chance." He successfully completed his associate's degree and earned enough credits for a bachelor's degree.

Navigating Freedom: Employment and Acceptance

Upon release, the speaker faced the familiar challenges of finding employment but persevered.

• A Chance Encounter: He met Wendy, who connected him with Tara, a manager at a local restaurant.
• Unexpected Acceptance: Tara hired him as a waiter despite his lack of experience.
• Confronting the Past: The speaker grappled with the fear of revealing his criminal background, especially to Tara, whose daughter had been murdered.
• Tara's Understanding: To his surprise, Tara already knew about his past and, despite her own trauma, chose to see the man he had become, offering him unwavering support and acceptance. "Kenny, I already noticed."

Housing and a Social Justice Advocate

The speaker's housing situation became precarious after a breakup, leading him to seek new accommodations.

• A Landlord's Generosity: He found a landlord who offered him an apartment at 25% of his income, a gesture motivated by the landlord's commitment to social justice and understanding of the housing challenges faced by formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Breaking the Cycle: The landlord's willingness to overlook his criminal record and provide housing was a significant act of support.

The Power of Community and Individual Action

The speaker concludes by reflecting on his fortunate circumstances and the importance of community support in successful re-entry.

• The Role of Random Acts of Kindness: He emphasizes that the opportunities he received were often the result of random acts of kindness and belief from individuals like Hillary, Tara, Wendy, and his landlord.
• Fair Chance as a Right, Not Luck: He argues that fair opportunities should not be a matter of chance or luck for anyone, especially those who have been incarcerated. "A fair opportunity for anybody should never be by chance or luck."
• Collective Responsibility: He calls on communities and individuals to create similar opportunities, highlighting the impact of small acts of support, such as offering employment or housing.
• Impacting Recidivism: He asserts that these actions directly influence the recidivism rate, giving society a choice to contribute to either a cycle of re-offending or a path to successful re-integration.