On December 9, 2025, the Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Center partnered with Gatekeepers to host The Power of Us: Collective Action to Support and Defend Returning Citizens, a collaborative community lunch and chat for formerly incarcerated individuals.

This conversation centers on how community agencies can work collectively to build a strong, humanizing defense for individuals returning from incarceration. Rather than focusing solely on past mistakes, this discussion highlights the power of community networks, the strengths and potential of returning citizens, and the shared responsibility of agencies to create pathways to success.

We will explore how organizations—including reentry programs, mental-health providers, housing and employment agencies, legal advocates, and grassroots community groups—can combine their unique expertise to present a holistic, dignity-based picture of the individual. By sharing information, coordinating services, and amplifying each other’s work, agencies can demonstrate not only the person’s progress but also the supportive community invested in their long-term stability.

The conversation is about shifting the narrative—from one of deficit to one of possibility, partnership, and collective responsibility—illustrating how a unified community response can strengthen a defense, reduce recidivism, and help individuals reclaim their future with hope and dignity.

See the full recording using the link below:

Full Recording: The Power of Us: Collective Action to Support and Defend Returning Citizens