Meet Steven…

 I want to raise awareness on mental health,  emotional and cognitive behavioral understanding, and take our power back. Our power to respond and our power of choice.

How could the best thing that ever happened to me, be connected to the worst thing? Before incarceration I was an ‘outlier.’ I was a young black man that ‘made it.’ I was in the Oakland Electricians Union as a journeyman, it was a long career starting at $8.00 an hour. It seems out there, we are judged by our financial standings, for me emotional intelligence was the missing factor. Prison is changing me for the better. Just like in society, I have the choice to choose bad or good. Instead of drowning in work or ‘handling business,’ In here, I have the chance to process in this ‘walled garden.’ I am able to cultivate new skills rather than being impulsive and trapped in male bravado. God willing – when I’m released I hope to be a part of changing and breaking generational curses. I want to raise awareness on mental health,  emotional and cognitive behavioral understanding, and take our power back. Our power to respond and our power of choice. We are all humans, no one is perfect. From this day forward, with the mercy God has shown me,  I’d like to share that with others.