George Alexander Keynote Address 10/30/2009

3rd Annual Citizens Awards
Keynote Address

George Alexander                                 10/30/2009

LET ME START WITH THE END IN MIND. THAT WAY, I AM ASSURED OF GETTING THERE MUCH QUICKER.

THANK-YOU!

THANK-YOU TO ALL OF THE HONOREES THIS EVENING FOR A JOB WELL DONE.

THANK-YOU FOR RISING ABOVE THE DISABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH HAVING A FELONY CONVICTION AND BECOMING AN ASSET, NOT ONLY TO THE COMMUNITIES YOU SERVE, BUT TO YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILIES AS WELL.

THANK-YOU FOR PROVING THE SO-CALLED EXPERTS WRONG IN THAT, WHEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, YOU CHOSE TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND NOT BECOME A PART OF THE REVOLVING DOOR NETWORK AS SO MANY PREDICTED THAT YOU WOULD.

THANK-YOU ALSO FOR PROVING THE SO-CALLED EXPERTS WRONG IN THAT, IN SPITE OF YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH OTHER KNOWN FELONS, YOU NOT ONLY HELPED THEM TO TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND, BUT YOURS AS WELL. IN ALL TOO MANY INSTANCES, YOUR ASSOCIATION LED TO A REDUCTION IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES AND A REBUILDING OF LIVES AND COMMUNITIES AND NOT THE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY PEOPLE WERE CONVINCED WOULD OCCUR. THE IRONY IS THAT YOUR ABILITY TO REACH OTHERS, WHO HAVE CONTEMPLATED OR HAVE BECOME INVOLVED IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, HAS PROVEN TO BE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THAT OF THOSE WHO ARE PAID TO PERFORM SUCH TASKS AND WHO PASS THEMSELVES OFF AS THE “PROFESSIONALS!”

YOUR EXPERIENCES GO MUCH FURTHER IN RELATING TO THOSE IN NEED MORESO THAN THOSE WHO HAVE NOT WALKED IN YOUR SHOES. YET, INSTEAD OF SEEING THE VALUE OF YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, WE WOULD RATHER FOCUS ON AND CONDEMN THAT ASSOCIATION. AT TIMES, THE SUCCESSES YOU HAVE
ACHIEVED FOR SO MANY ARE OVERSHADOWED BY THE FAILURES OF A FEW.
WHY? BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE WE FOCUS OUR ATTENTION. WE HAVE TENDENCY TO ACCENTUATE THE NEGATIVE, YET YOU ARE NOT DETERRED.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY FOR HEALTH CARE FOR THE CURRENT AND FORMERLY INCARCERATED. AS THE NATION IS CURRENTLY WRESTLING WITH THE ISSUE OF HEALTH CARE, THEY COULD CERTAINLY LEARN FROM YOU.

THANK YOU FOR DEMONSTRATING TO AGENCIES LIKE PAROLE THAT WHAT YOU REALLY NEED IS FOR THEM TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY; TO BE THERE IN CASE YOU STUMBLE, NOT WITH A WARRANT, BUT WITH COMPASSION, ASSISTANCE AND A SINCERE DESIRE TO HELP YOU HELP OTHERS TO GET BACK ON TRACK AND SUCCEED.

ALL TOO OFTEN A ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH IS USED TO SUPERVISE THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED IN THE COMMUNITY, AN APPROACH THAT DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE UNIQUENESS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL.

THAT APPROACH STIFLES GROWTH, PREVENTS SOME FROM PURSUING OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME AND REMAIN LAW ABIDING AND TREATING THEM INSTEAD TO A LEVEL OF INTERVENTION REQUIRED ONLY OF THE MINORITY OF RELEASEES. OUR SOCIETY AND THE SO-CALLED CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERTS TAKE A RATHER PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF THOSE RELEASED FROM INCARCERATION, BELIEVING ABOVE ALL ELSE (AND IN SOME INSTANCES WANTING) YOU TO FAIL.

UNDER THE GUISE OF HELPING YOU TO SUCCEED, WE EMPLOY ALL KINDS OF SCIENTIFIC METHODS TO PREDICT FAILURE OR TO ASSESS NEEDS. TELL ME, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME SOMEONE PUT ALL OF THOSE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ASIDE AND JUST SIMPLY ASKED YOU WHAT IT WAS THAT YOU NEEDED? WHO KNOWS BETTER THAN YOU?

I AM CONVINCED THAT YOUR SUCCESSES HAVE NOT NECESSARILY BEEN BECAUSE OF AGENCIES LIKE PAROLE, BUT IN SPITE OF THEM. I AM FURTHER CONVINCED THAT BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR EXPERIENCES AND YOUR SUCCESSES, THAT PERHAPS YOU SHOULD BE ON STAFF WITH AGENCIES LIKE PAROLE, MUCH IN THE SAME MANNER AS IMAM SALAHUDDIN MUHAMMAD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY AND EXPERTISE TO REACH THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO THE PROFESSIONALS HAVE FAILED TO ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH.

WE TALK ABOUT REFORM, REHABILITATION AND REENTRY. YET, HOW MUCH DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT IT? MAYBE, ITS’ TIME TO ASK THE REAL EXPERTS HOW TO BEST ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS. WHO ARE THE REAL EXPERTS? YOU ALL OF COURSE!

THANK-YOU FOR LOOKING PAST OUR HYPOCRACY.

WE TOSS AROUND KEY PHRASES LIKE “PUBLIC SAFETY CAN BEST BE ACHIEVED BY A SUCCESSFUL REENTRY,” YET LOOK AT WHAT WE DO. WE PUT MORE OUR EFFORTS AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES IN INITIATIVES SUCH AS “OPERATION IMPACT,” WHICH THE IS ANTITHESIS OF REENTRY. INITIATIVES SUCH AS OPERATION IMPACT, IN UTILIZING A MULTI-AGENCY APPROACH, HAS A PRIMARY GOAL OF LOCKING PEOPLE UP. IMAGINE IF, ALONG WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE, WE USED THAT SAME MULTI-AGENCY APPROACH, WITH AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE FEDERAL APPROACH. WE SEE A VERY NOBLE FORT TOWARDS THE “SECOND -CHANCE ACT,” YET LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES ATTACHED DWARD THIS INITIATIVE, $175 MILLION DOLLARS. WHEN AVERAGED AMONGST THE 50 STATES, THAT AMOUNTS TO APPROXIMATELY $7.5 MILLION PER STATE. USING A CONSERVATIVE FIGURE OF 43,000 OF PEOPLE ON PAROLE IN New York STATE, THAT EQUATES TO APPROXIMATELY $74.42 PER PAROLEE. THAT DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE 125,000 PEOPLE ON PROBATION IN New York STATE WHO MAY HAVE SOME ENTITLEMENT TO THOSE DOLLARS AS WELL. COMPARE THAT TO THE SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS ALLOCATED TO HIRING MORE POLICE OFFICERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHOSE PRIMARY ACTIVITY INVOLVES LOCKING PEOPLE UP. WHAT IS OUR REAL PRIORITY?

THANK-YOU FOR CARING ABOUT A POPULATION THAT MOST OF US HAVE GIVEN UP ON AND WRITTEN OFF. YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COUNTLESS NUMBER OF LIVES THAT YOU HAVE SAVED AND IN THE QUALITY LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED A LEGACY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THANK-YOU FOR SHOWING EVERYONE -THAT WHEN WE FALL DOWN, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR ONE TO GET BACK UP.

THANK-YOU FOR CARING.

THANK-YOU FOR BEING THERE.

THANK-YOU FOR GIVING BACK.

I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE SACRIFICED A LOT, HAVE MADE YOUR WANTS AND NEEDS SECONDARY; HAVE GIVEN UP YOUR DREAMS AND THE PURSUIT OF PERSONAL FINANCIAL SUCCESS; WERE THERE WHEN OTHERS THOUGHT IT TO BE BENEATH THEM TO DO SO AND I SINCERELY COMMEND YOU FOR THAT.

THANK-YOU SINCERELY FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE AND ALL THAT YOU HAVE BECOME. YOU ARE CERTAINLY WORTHY OF THIS AND MANY OTHER AWARDS. YOU ALL ARE INDEED OUR HEROES!

THANK-YOU ON BEHALF OF THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED.
EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU HAVE THE TALENT, DRIVE AND POTENTIAL FOR INDIVIDUAL FINANCIAL SUCCESS. INSTEAD, YOU HAVE DEVOTED YOUR
TIME AND EFFORTS TO ADVOCATE FOR THOSE SUFFERING WITH HIV/AIDS, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BECOME DISENFRANCHISED FROM THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. YOU’VE DEVOTED YOURSELF TO HELPING PEOPLE TO RESTORE SOME SENSE OF DIGNITY AND PURPOSE. YOU’VE REPLACED DESPAIR WITH HOPE. YOU’VE BRIDGED THE GAP BETWEEN THOSE IN NEED AND THE MANY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU ALL REPRESENT.

YOU’VE HELPED PEOPLE TO ATTAIN HIGHER LEVELS OF EDUCATION, EVEN WHEN THEY’VE DOUBTED THEIR OWN ABILITIES. YOU’VE BELIEVED IN THEM WHEN MANY OF THEM DIDN’T BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES. THROUGH YOUR DIRECT EFFORTS, MANY FORMERLY INCARCERATED HAVE COME TO GRIPS WITH THEIR ADDICTIONS AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DIVORCE THEMSELVES FROM THE STRONGHOLDS OF THEIR FORMER LIFESTYLES. TO HELP THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED FIND EMPLOYMENT, MANY OF WHOM HAVE NEVER BEEN EMPLOYED, IS NO SMALL FEAT. THE FULL IMPACT OF YOUR ADVOCACY HAS YET TO BE SEEN, BUT IS CERTAINLY OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS.

AS THE SONG WRITER SAYS, “AFTER ALL THE THINGS YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH, YOU NOW REALIZE THAT IT WAS HIM THAT YOU HAD TO HOLD ONTO. NOW YOU ARE STRONGER, YOU’RE WISER, YOU’RE BETTER, MUCH BETTER,” AND, AS A RESULT, SO ARE WE. I BEGAN THIS PRESENTATION WITH THE END IN MIND; LET ME NOW END WITH THE BEGINNING IN MIND.

GOOD EVENING! CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL!