Two Los Angeles residents who play key roles in programs aimed at helping federal and state inmates as they make the transition out of prison will be honored this week by President Barack Obama.
Sabra Williams, an actress and founder/director of The Actors’ Gang Prison Project, and Roby So, a Re-Entry Program Manager at the Executive Clemency Institute, are among 10 people who will be honored Wednesday at the White House.
They will both be recognized as “White House Champions of Change for Expanding Fair Chance Opportunities.” According to the White House, they were chosen “for their leadership and tireless work to remove barriers to a second chance for those with a criminal record.”
Williams’ Prison Project conducts eight-week theater workshops inside the California prison system. According to the White House, it is one of the only remaining arts programs inside the state prison system, and it fosters tolerance a nonviolent expression, and helps reduce recidivism rates.
So’s work at the Clemency Initiative, which is part of Stanford Law School’s Justice Advocacy Project, supports federal and state inmates returning home after long sentences. A former inmate himself, So was featured in New York Times Magazine article on efforts to reintegrate former prisoners.
San Diego resident Samantha Galarneau, executive vice president of California Marketing Group, which trains and relies on federal inmates in the Federal Prison Industries Inc. work program to perform telemarketing functions on behalf of its customers, is also among the honorees.
—City News Service