Activate Your Life and Your Right To Vote
Lucinda Cross is leading the initiative to ensure formerly incarcerated individuals know their voting rights and register to vote.
“I was constantly hearing, ‘I can’t vote, I’m not allowed to vote, or I have a felony,’” she tells BLACK ENTERPRISE
“Just hearing that individuals weren’t aware that serving time […] I knew I had to do something.”
“That’s a big piece of the pie that’s missing in the electorate,” she says.
“In some states, you never lose the right, including Washington, D.C., Maine, and Vermont. In other states, your rights are restored right after you serve your time.”
She recognizes states like Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky are more strict about restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated citizens, but her goal is to educate people about how to participate in the democratic process through her nonprofit.
Formerly Incarcerated To Founder and CEO
“There were a few things offered to me. Working in fast food, parenting, cosmetology, or horticulture classes.”
Cross says there’s a lack of programming for formerly incarcerated individuals to rebuild their lives, especially for women who deal with an extra layer of judgment.
“Society already has a label on you, so it’s hard to get housing and the basic support you need with a felony or background,” says Cross. “Many times, you’re forced back into the toxic environment you left. Women suffer silently because they’re often embarrassed or ashamed. As a woman in society, you’re looked at as a person who shouldn’t do anything wrong.”
Cross was fortunate to have a friend working at a telemarketing company because it gave her a different path from what was expected of her. She recognizes that not everyone has someone to fall back on, so she works to fill the gap for women through her nonprofit.
“Women need more than ‘dress for success’ programs. With my nonprofit, we offer programs that focus on life skills and public speaking, working on effective communication to help them get a job confidently,” she says.
“We also have programs on personal branding so they can feel good about themselves, and I share my story.”
“The goal is to get individuals to register to vote, understand their rights as a citizen, and to push for restorative justice,” Cross says.
“The main focus is to get them to register to vote.”
RELATED CONTENT: VOTING RIGHTS FOR FORMER FELONS IN THE HANDS OF STATE GOVERNMENTS
Source: Black Enterprise
