Judith Clark is a mother and grandmother, a writer and a lifelong fighter for justice. She spent 37 ½  years in prison for her part in a robbery, in which three people were killed. While reckoning with the damage she caused, she worked with her sisters to create community based programs for women to address the problems they faced and their desires to grow. She was a founder of ACE (AIDS Counseling and Education) and part of the committee of women who built a college program after public funding was eliminated. Working in the Children’s Center, she helped develop programs for mothers to sustain bonds with their children and mentored new mothers living in the prison nursery. She has written about that work, the experiences of mothers inside, the spiritual work of remorse and the efforts of women inside to build community. Her poetry and writings have appeared in The New Yorker and other journals. Released in 2019, she continues her social justice work as the Community Justice Advocate for Hour Children, which provides housing and support for women emerging from prison.  She is a senior advisor for the Women and Justice Project, and on the advisory boards of the Survivor’s Justice Project and the Osborne Center for Justice Across Generations and the HoPE Doula Program.

Selina Fulford is a native of Harlem, New York. Her love for social justice and advocacy  started as a youth on  Columbia University’s open lawn space where she witnessed and participated in ‘Stop The War’ rallies with students attending the university.  She returned home from incarceration in 2000 and has since earned three Master’s degrees in Sociology, Communications, and Social Work. She is now an Arts Activist, dedicated to women’s rights pre and post-incarceration.

Betsy Ramos is an activist and advocate for social justice and has been involved in a number of documentaries including the documentary ‘What I Want My Words to Do to You – The Betsy Ramos Story’ and ‘Before Time/After Time,’ a documentary that explores life before and after incarceration directed by Bruce Levitt. Betsy has dedicated her work to the women she left behind that helped her to survive her incarceration. Betsy Ramos served 24 years for a crime perpetrated by her abuser.

Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin is the Executive Director of Housing Initiatives in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. She leads policies and programs to improve housing opportunities for the 750,000 New Yorkers with justice histories. She began her civil service career in 2015 as Chief of Housing and Community Activities for the Family Reentry Program at the New York City Housing Authority. She successfully reunited almost 200 released individuals with their family members living in NYCHA. This program was nationally recognized because it led to low rates of recidivism. Her personal mission of supporting formerly incarcerated people has been core to her career. She has helped women with criminal justice involvement earn college degrees and supported the restoration of Pell grants for incarcerated students. She regularly speaks about prison reform, social justice, housing for the unhoused and women’s pathways to freedom. Ms. Johnson-Peterkin was the Sloan Public Service Awards 2023 recipient for her exemplary work in housing in the justice arenas.

Edna Sams is the Regional Director at a Non-for-profit Mental Health Supportive Housing provider. She graduated from the Hunter College School of Social Work with an MSW in January 2009. She received her License as a Master of Social Work in December 2014.

Edna was initially reconnected with her writing self as a member of CCF’s Theatre for Social Change (TSC) and The Writer’s Group for over 15 years. She is currently a founding member of the Write/Right to Heal writers’ group where she uses prompts from real life/the movement for social change to create poetic joy which resonates from deep within her. In addition, she has always desired to tell her story in front of people to bring joy and present others who have had similar backgrounds with a point of reference and to recognize the potential for life successes. Yes, it can be done…by any one of us with determination, commitment and of course God’s Grace!!

Teronia Campbell is a mother, wife, grand “glam-ma,” supervisor with a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and a proud child of God. She is a proud survivor of  life trials and has overcome much adversity. She proudly champions self-love and the love of God. For the past thirty years, she has given back and helped others bounce back from the struggles and challenges of life to awaken lost dreams and new possibilities. She lives by the scripture, ‘With God, nothing is impossible.’