FOREVER ROOTED

"I just want to thank everyone because this space has really been a place where I can just hear things, know that I was in the right place, and feel safe…This was a real safe space."
‍- Devohn

"I’ve done three Chowchilla stints and I just had my first prison sentence fulfilled recently. I’m tired, and I want to make a difference. To be around people who are just like me, and are now making a difference, gives me more motivation and just taught me there’s so many other things I could do.

Right now, I’m starting off small. I’m learning to be a drug and alcohol counselor. I’m working at a rehab. But now I know where I can go. I really just appreciate everybody. Just them speaking and sharing their thoughts and dreams — it helps me a lot."
- Karissa

"I was in and out of incarceration for 20 years stuck in an endless cycle of cruelty and punitive measures. While incarcerated, I told someone that I had a substance abuse problem. I got a letter from the Office of Diversion and Re-entry and ended up doing a 1-year program and was able to attend therapy during that time. I can’t believe how different my life is from how it could have been. I tell everyone that I am free outside and on the inside. But that is not because of the jails, it’s because my needs were finally met.

Dignity and Power Now and the Forever Rooted program helped me to see that there are other people who have been in my path. I was offered acupuncture, which helped a lot with my stress and anxiety. Someone gambled on me by giving me a fair chance, and they won."
‍- Robyn