Transcriber: Ewaenruwa Nomaren Reviewer: David DeRuwe
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Unalienable rights. Really? Hmm.
Abraham Lincoln,
the 16th president of the United States, made it crystal clear:
“Democracy is the government of the people by the people, for the people,
and shall never perish from the earth.”
Reinhold Niebuhr, once one of America’s leading public intellectuals, said,
“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible,
but man’s tendency towards injustice makes democracy necessary.”
What if I told you that a people small in status
but great in potential are the hope of our democracy?
Returning citizens are men and women
who have been negatively impacted from,
formerly convicted by,
and previously incarcerated in our criminal legal system,
and are returning to our communities with a felony conviction.
Did you get that?
Negatively impacted, formally convicted, preciously incarcerated,
returning from the deplorable conditions of incarceration.
Barrier. Barrier. Barrier. Hope.
The very fact that we deem these citizens to be returning
is proof and display of the very hope that lies within us
and the yards of potential that lies within each of them.
They are moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.
They are neighbors and friends, immigrants, and those we call “strangers.”
Some Caucasian, some people of color, others indigenous.
They’re all people just the same.
Some were victims; others were victimizers
who were abused in such a way that a judge never saw,
only to wind up abusing someone else.
Still others were hard, hateful people who committed heinous crimes,
but while incarcerated underwent a renewal in their minds,
a change in their hearts, and thus a transformation in their character.
Essentially, democracy is a commitment to unlock the power of people.
People are human beings; human beings make grave mistakes.
Those mistakes must be forgiven,
and forgiveness is required for redemption.
Returning citizens are realizing and discovering
a power within themselves.
They realize and understand that you don’t lose your voting rights
because you are in prison;
no, you temporarily forfeit them while serving your sentence
and should immediately be able to operate within democracy upon your release.
After all, voting is an unalienable right,
a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy,
and past mistakes should not determine a person’s future,
for once a debt is paid, it’s paid.
Returning citizens and the directly impacted family members who love them
have awakened to the fact that they have a right and a responsibility
to speak and be heard,
transform lives,
positively impact communities,
and participate in all aspects of society.
They’re not asking to be given more than anyone else;
they simply want to be treated equal to everyone else.
Returning citizens understand that they are fully capable
of solving the problems that plague their communities
just as much as anyone else says they can.
Because the people closest to the pain, baby,
are the ones closest to the solution to the pain.
Can the church say “Amen?”
(Audience) Amen.
(Applause)
I should know.
I am a returning citizen.
In 1999, my life was forever changed.
I was grossly negligent in an incident, then falsely accused.
Two detectives forced me into confessing to a crime I didn’t commit.
I was then wrongly convicted,
sentenced to 23 years, served 20 of them,
returned home to all kinds of unfair barriers to both employment and housing.
But I’m standing before you today as a testimony to the power of hope
and the purpose of redemption.
(Applause)
From the blessed employees to those diligent and vigilant residents,
returning citizens offer a usefulness
and an ethic that is unique, unlike any other.
People don’t think about it, but they should consider the fact
that returning citizens offer a work ethic, an appreciation for life,
a newfound commitment to social justice and civic engagement
because they want to repair the breaches and chasms in their families
and communities that some of them caused in the first place.
All of this is borne out of the crucible of their own experience.
Listen, prison changes people:
some for the better, others for the worse.
Apartment homes and newly-developed communities have better residents
in returning citizens because some of these men and women slept in cells,
even on the floor,
and decided a long time ago that that would never,
ever happen to them again.
They want homes of their own and rooves over their own heads,
so why shouldn’t or wouldn’t we rent an apartment to them or sell them a home?
From your HOA?
Ladies and gentlemen, each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done.
The hope of democracy lies in men and women like you
who understand that incarcerated and convicted individuals
are from our communities,
they’re a part of our community, and they’re returning to our communities.
I’m speaking to a worldwide audience of people
who want to be the change that they desire to see in the world.
So may I offer to you three ideas worth spreading
that would create a more inclusive society and a more vibrant democracy?
First, freely accept every returning citizen,
regardless of color, culture, crime, or creed.
You see, you can’t do anything about the waves,
but you sure can learn how to surf.
There's going to be waves of returning citizens coming back into our communities.
They need your acceptance.
Enough of the self-righteousness, the hypocrisy, the judgmental spirit
that says “because I don’t have a felony conviction,
I’m somehow better than you”.
They need your acceptance.
Secondly, fully restore every returning citizen,
regardless of color, culture, crime, or creed.
Unalienable rights, my brothers and sisters,
are inherent rights we have as citizens.
They cannot and should not be taken away.
It's not just about voting rights,
but how about the right to an occupational license
or second-chance employment or fair-chance housing?
Restore returning citizens, let my people vote, let my people rent,
let my people work, let my people drive.
Thirdly, finally redeem returning citizens,
every one of them,
regardless of color, culture,
crime or creed.
You see, all of us, in some way, are searching for redemption.
That redemption is found in love.
Oh, you see, my mother used to tell me all the time,
“Chas, people are people,
and they’re going to do what they want to do.”
(Laughter)
She also taught me that nobody wants to be mistreated.
and everybody wants to be loved.
You want to be someone who changes the world?
You want to be a citizen who leaves a legacy in this, your country?
I’ll tell you what you do.
Freely accept, fully restore,
and finally redeem every returning citizen.
Why?
Why, you ask?
(Laughter)
Because we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men -
white men, black men, brown men, women, and children -
are created equal,
and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
(Applause)