Benjamin Fowler embodies what it means to be resilient. Detailing the hardships he faced transitioning from incarceration to the reentry community, Benjamin describes how the Fire Camps and the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program gave him a second chance at a new life. Benjamin recounts the struggles and rewards of what it means to be an inmate firefighter, and how the love for his children and his community empowered him to never give up.

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From living in anguish thinking that a lifetime in prison is all that was left, to getting another chance at life with freedom through SB 1437, Ivy shares about the role that Homeboy Industries played in her life to overcome challenges that came after being released. Ivy faced obstacles with employment, housing, and navigation of different patriarcal systems that oppress women and limit their ability to succeed as free individuals.

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Brandon Smith is the co-founder and CEO of The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program. Brandon exempifies what is like to be relentless, innovative and passionate to bring opportunities to become a firefighter not only for himself, but to formerly incarcerated folks who complete fire camp and are in search of a similar career. Brandon recounts the different challenges that he experienced after his release with different social institutions, the stigma that comes of being in prison and how this inspired him to create a path to help others achieve the same success through mentorship and support post release through FFRP.

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Fabian Debora has always placed art at the center of his healing. As Founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Art Academy, Fabian describes in detail how his upbringing influenced his relationship with art and healing. Using the knowledge he knows now, Fabian is using his cultural influence to highlight the facilitation of art and its healing powers. Through art, Fabian is changing the paradigm of how to connect with another human being.

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In partnership with Homeboy Industries and Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, Our Stories Matter Season Four  shares the stories of folx reentering the free world through radical resistance and activism.

Prisons and many organizations in the free world complement each other as two sides of the same coin, as they continue to oppress and shackle folx coming home. Our Stories Matter engages in dialogue with two organizations that are dismantling the 46,000 collateral consequences around employment and education within a punishing system that has been created for recidivism. 

Storytelling is political. Storytelling is liberating. Storytelling is community healing. Our Stories Matter.

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Public defenders have often gotten a less-than-honorable wrap when it comes to providing services for those who need it the most. In this week's episode, Brendon Woods, Alameda County's first Black Chief Public Defender, challenges that bad reputation as he shares his passion and advocacy for the liberation of victims of mass incarceration. 

Brendon talks about how he is leveraging his position to fight against systemic injustice in the legal system. Tune in to hear the changes he is making in the community.

Visit the Our Stories Matter homepage to learn more about the podcast. Follow @TraumaInformedLA on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.

Naima Ramos-Chapman is an activist and filmmaker. Her powerful story highlights ways she has used filmmaking to promote her own healing and the healing of others from complex and systemic trauma. She discusses how she leveraged film to give light to perspectives and experiences that are often dismissed and overlooked.

Visit the Our Stories Matter homepage to learn more about the podcast. Follow @TraumaInformedLA on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.

While law in the US has a history of perpetuating systematic racism, Summer Lacey has utilized it to advocate for the most marginalized amongst us. Summer’s life embodies the transformational mission of using the law to resist and dismantle systems of oppression.

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Romarilyn is a black feminist prison abolitionist scholar working to interrupt criminalization at the intersections of race, gender, and education.

Her fierce advocacy as the Program Director of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton has helped establish the John Irwin Memorial House, the first collegiate housing initiative in the nation that provides a residence, holistic support and academic care for formerly incarcerated and system impacted students.

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Claudia Peña and Bryonn Bain are trailblazers in their work with UCLA's Prison education Program. The two are using their background in everything from the arts and literature to working in the legal system to invest in the education and healing of those who are incarcerated.

In this episode, Claudia and Bryonn share their efforts to promote transformative justice and healing through collaboration and trauma-informed practices.

Visit the Our Stories Matter homepage to learn more about the podcast. Follow @TraumaInformedLA on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.