WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 4 of the ⁠WE GOT US NOW Podcast⁠ series POWERED by ⁠The Just Trust⁠

HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 6th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MBA | MSc | FAAP is a pediatrician and a physician-investigator at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and in the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She examines the influence of social adversities experienced in childhood and subsequent child and adolescent health. Dr. Heard-Garris is also interested in the factors that contribute to thriving and resilience despite these experiences. Dr. Heard-Garris completed a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She earned her Master of Science in Health and Healthcare Research. She received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Howard University College of Medicine and helped to launch the student-run free clinic serving DC residents. Dr. Heard-Garris earned her Bachelor of Science in biology at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Heard-Garris is also an active member in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Dr. Heard-Garris has had numerous media appearances, including CNN/Sesame Street, NPR, NBC, and numerous others.

In this episode, she takes our listeners on a deep dive about the impacts of structural racism on the lives of children with incarcerated parents. She believes in using research to better inform clinical practice and policy that supports youth, their families, and their communities to become their healthiest selves and thrive. Don't Miss This Insightful Discussion!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: ⁠WEGOTUSNOW.org ⁠|⁠ Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #10MillionInspired #ChildWellBeing #Community #Allies #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 4 of the ⁠WE GOT US NOW Podcast⁠ series POWERED by ⁠The Just Trust

HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 6th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

Tony Lewis Jr. is an Author, Community Leader, Re-Entry Expert, WE GOT US NOW Actionist and champion for children with incarcerated parents. Tony Jr. has fought relentlessly to uplift and empower men, women, and children impacted by mass incarceration. His work and advocacy has been featured on CNN, BET, and in the Washington Post. He is the winner of many awards including the Steve Harvey/Ford Motor Company “Best Community Leader” award and the Presidential Call to Service award.

In this episode, we celebrate the reunification of Tony and his father Tony Lewis, Sr. after 34 years in prison. As his father's only child, Tony Jr. was relentless about advocating for his father's release and while doing so changed the negative narrative associated with his namesake into a pillar of positivity, as a native Washingtonian, for his DC community. Today, Tony Sr. is FREE - listen as he shares his story of redemption, restoration and how elated he is to be able to reunite with his family, spend quality time with his granddaughters, and finally be reunited with his son, Tony Jr. LISTEN TO THIS COMPELLING CONVERSATION!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: ⁠WEGOTUSNOW.org ⁠|⁠ Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts , iHEART and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #10MillionInspired #ActionistinAction #Fathers #Sons #Children #GrandChildren #Family #Community #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 4 of the ⁠WE GOT US NOW Podcast⁠ series POWERED by ⁠The Just Trust⁠

HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 6th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

Hena Ali-Bernard, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters in Educational Leadership, an Adjunct Professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work and WE GOT US NOW Community Member who has been impacted by her father's incarceration.

A Brooklyn NY native, Hena has been in the field of service since 2010. In 2020, she was appointed Supervisor of NYC Public School Social Workers where she remains committed to creating safe, healthy, equitable opportunities for vulnerable students. In this episode, she shares her lived experience, growing up as a vulnerable youth not looking like what she has been through, the impacts and trauma of her father's incarceration, and her dedication to the students in her community. She is a vital asset to the social work field where she offers a vast array of knowledge from a private and organizational lens. This episode is A MUST LISTEN!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: ⁠WEGOTUSNOW.org ⁠|⁠ Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts, iHEART and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #10MillionInspired #ChildWellBeing #Community #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 4 of the ⁠WE GOT US NOW Podcast⁠ series POWERED by ⁠The Just Trust⁠

HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 6th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

Kemba Smith-Pradia is a Mother, Advocate, Author, Motivational Speaker & Executive Producer of the new film, "KEMBA". Growing up as an only child in Virginia, Kemba Smith graduated high school and continued her education at the prestigious Hampton University. What happened to Kemba in her new campus environment was a nightmare. She went from college student to drug dealer’s girlfriend to domestic violence victim and in 1994 she was sentenced to 24 1/2 years in federal prison. Kemba’s case drew support from across the nation and after serving 6.5 years, President Clinton commuted her sentence to time served.Kemba shares her traumatic real life experience as the Executive Producer of the new film, "KEMBA", streaming on BET Plus & Amazon Prime Video.

Today, Kemba advocates around the world regarding a variety of criminal justice issues, including: fair sentencing, women incarceration and re-entry. She has worked with senior officials at The White House, the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Members of Congress, and has led trainings for Federal and State Probation organizations across the country. Kemba is a graduate of Virginia Union University, a past recipient of the Soros Justice Postgraduate Fellowship in 2014, was appointed a member of the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, and is a popular speaker at colleges, universities, high schools, juvenile facilities, churches and national conferences around the nation. She is the author of the book, “Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story" and has received numerous awards and recognitions for her courage and determination as a motivational speaker and advocate to humanize people who are impacted by incarceration and believes in sharing her story as an educational tool to prevent youth from going down a similar path. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: ⁠WEGOTUSNOW.org ⁠|⁠ Instagram⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #MentalHealthMatters #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #FREEMICHELLEWEST #keepfamiliesconnected #Mothers #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 4 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast series POWERED by The Just Trust

HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 6th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

Anna R. Haskins is the Andrew V. Tackes Associate Professor of Sociology and Associate Director of Notre Dame's Initiative on Race and Resilience (IRR). Her research examines how three of America’s most powerful social institutions—the education system, the family, and the criminal justice system—connect and interact in ways that both preserve and mitigate social inequality, with emphasis on early educational outcomes, intergenerational impacts, and disparities by race/ethnicity. Her work has been published in the American Sociological Review, Sociology of Education and Social Science Research, among other scholarly outlets, and she is co-editor of a recent book – When Parents are Incarcerated: Interdisciplinary Research and Interventions to Support Children (2018, APA Press). Her research focuses on how a parent’s incarceration impacts how they interact with schools and its impact on a child’s educational outcomes. Anna is a former elementary school teacher and prior to coming to Notre Dame she was an assistant professor of sociology at Cornell University. In February 2024, Notre Dame Student Government awarded Haskins the Black Excellence Faculty Award to honor her work as an outstanding Black community member.

In this episode, Anna shares about her research on children and youth with incarcerated fathers and highlights their optimism, hope and resilience, and the dampening effect that hampers their view of success due to lack of access to resources.

This episode is NOT TO BE MISSED!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: WEGOTUSNOW.org | Instagram | Twitter

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #10MillionInspired #ChildWellBeing #Research #SocialConnection #Community #MentalHealthMatters #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #keepfamiliesconnected #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 4 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast series POWERED by The Just Trust

For our 6th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

Chesa Boudin is the founding executive director of Berkeley’s Criminal Law & Justice Center. He is an attorney and graduate of Yale College and Yale law school. He attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. He clerked for two federal judges, worked for years as a deputy public defender in San Francisco, and became district attorney of San Francisco in 2020 until his recall in 2022. Boudin’s work has appeared or been profiled in The Yale Law Journal, The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, and many more.

In this episode, Chesa talks about what it was like growing up as a child with incarcerated parents -- his Mom, Kathy Boudin and his Dad, David Gilbert, spent a combined 62 years in prison from the time Chesa was 14 months old. He discusses being raised by his adopted parents in a privileged environment, the challenges he grappled with growing up visiting his biological parents, and the significant resources and supportive community that helped him harness his energy as a child into a resilient adult able to face challenging circumstances.

This episode is dedicated, In Loving Memory of Chesa's biological Mother, Kathy Boudin.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO WEGOTUSNOW.org | Instagram | Twitter

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #10MillionInspired #ChildWellBeing #SocialConnection #Community #MentalHealthMatters #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #keepfamiliesconnected #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 3 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast series. HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 5th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight our community voices, bring awareness to 50 Years of Mass Incarceration in 2023, and uplift our allies working to reform the criminal legal system and create a just, equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected

S3 | EP 7: THE SENTENCING PROJECT ~ 50 YEARS & A WAKEUP (BONUS EPISODE)

In the wake of 50 Years of Mass Incarceration, this BONUS EPISODE spotlights WE GOT US NOW ally and partner, The Sentencing Project with an in-depth discussion featuring Acting Executive Director, Kara Gotsch and Senior Director of Advocacy, Nicole Porter. about the state of mass incarceration in the United States.

Launched in 2023, the year-long public education campaign, #50YearsAndAWakeUp: Ending The Mass Incarceration Crisis In America includes a coalition of advocates, experts, and partners, such as, WE GOT US NOW, all working towards raising awareness about the dire state of the U.S. criminal legal system, the devastating impact of incarceration on communities and families, and proposes more effective crime prevention strategies for our country.

The title for this campaign was born out of a colloquial phrase that incarcerated people sometimes use to describe the life of their sentence, plus one day (e.g. “I have 20 years and a wake up”). It also serves as a double-entendre, calling for our country to “wake up” to the harsh and dangerous realities of mass incarceration in America. To learn more, go to, https://www.sentencingproject.org/advocacy/50-years-and-a-wake-up-ending-the-mass-incarceration-crisis-in-america/

This informative, educational BONUS episode is not to be missed!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO www.WEGOTUSNOW.org| Instagram: @WE_GOTUSNOW | Twitter: @WE_GOTUSNOW

LISTEN to the FULL SEASON of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on SPOTIFY, APPLE Podcasts and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #50YearsandAWakeUp #TheSentencing Project #10MillionInspired #WellBeing #SocialConnection #Community #50Years #endlifeimprisonment #massincarceration #endmassincarceration ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #keepfamiliesconnected #WeGotUsNowPodcast

WE GOT US NOW #KeepFamiliesConnected campaign series

WELCOME to Season 3 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast series. HOSTED by Ebony Underwood

For our 5th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight our community voices, bring awareness to 50 Years of Mass Incarceration in 2023, and uplift our allies working to reform the criminal legal system and create a a just, equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

S3 | EP 6: FATHER'S DAY EDITION - RICKEYRA JIVENS: 32 Father's Day ~ Seeking Freedom for Her Father Serving a Life Sentence

Rickeyra is a Savannah Georgia native who works as a Film + Media Entrepreneur in the Entertainment Industry. She is a 2022 WE GOT US NOW ACTIONIST and Daughter of incarcerated parent, Ricky Jivens, who has seved 32 years of a life sentence. ️

In this episode, Rickeyra speaks about her journey uncovering her father's life sentence from childhood into adulthood. Her father, Ricky, has been incarcerated since he was 20 years old and at 52 years old is the ONLY person in his case that remains incarcerated. ️

Rickeyra was just 3 months old when her father went to prison and has no memory of meeting him outside of prison walls. ️ She shares about the challenges she experienced at school, home and in her community as a daughter with an incarcerated father. ️

It's been 32 Father's Days separated from her Dad in prison. Rickeyra is determined to end the trauma, stigma and shame of parental incarceration. Her father is a changed man that deserves a second chance.

This episode is not to be missed!

#WEGOTUSNOW #10MillionInspired #WellBeing #RickeyraJivens #SocialConnection #Community #Actionist #ActionistinAction #ChildrenwithIncarceratedParents #keepfamiliesconnectedseries #WeGotUsNowPodcast

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: www.WEGOTUSNOW.org | Instagram: @WE_GOTUSNOW | Twitter: @WE_GOTUSNOW