05/13/2015
"I realized that success was in my DNA. For the first time, I developed a thought that prison was not a place that I belonged."
“My mom left me with my grandparents so she could prepare a way for us in America. But my grandparents passed away, so I came to America before my mother was ready. There were eight of us in one apartment. In my mind at the time, I thought that if I began to misbehave, I’d be sent back home. So one day I got in a fight at school, and when the teacher tried to restrain me, I hit her with a chair. I was only nine years old, but from that moment on, I became a system baby. My mom gave me up and I went to a foster home, then a boy’s home, then jail, then prison. When you go to prison, they make you strip naked, spread your ass cheeks, and cough. I refused to do it. So they beat me and threw me alone into the box. And I remember sitting in there alone, reflecting on my life, and where it had ended up. I started thinking about the other members of my family. My sister was a registered nurse. My grandmother owned two houses. My aunt was a payroll supervisor. My mother worked in advertising. I realized that success was in my DNA. For the first time, I developed a thought that prison was not a place that I belonged.”
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Barry is a current staff member and former client of The Fortune Society. The Fortune Society's mission is to "create a world where all who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated can become positive, contributing members of society."