Shaka Senghor

Any of us who've made anything of our lives post incarceration is because we probably had a type of determination and grit to do it the right way that superseded our ability to fall into the depression trap and the hey, I'm a failure.

You know, all the things that society is constantly telling you.

Um, you know, even going back to shame, you know, I forgot about this piece.

Anytime I have to fill out an application and it asks, have you ever been convicted of a felony?

You know, that it brings back like, man, when does this stop?

You know, when there's, when there's enough, enough, you know?

Um, so I think, I think without.

Yeah, it's like I already had the punishment and I'm still being punished.

Even though I did my time.

Yeah.

So, so, so we're in a society that doesn't.

You know, think kindly about those of us who want to follow the law.

It's hard to get employment, housing.

I mean, it's 44,000 collateral consequences of having a felony.

And so, yeah, I think without the...

you know, therapeutic outlook I've had on life, you know, the many failures I've had this side of incarceration, not the, the times I wasn't called back after a great interview, the times I was denied housing, the times I was denied insurance and like the list goes on and on and on where those things can be very much like, um,

A trigger that says to you, nothing I do will ever be enough.

Wow.

Right?

Man, how do you overcome that then?