By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
We have an outstanding season shaping up to be one that you wouldn’t wanna miss. Our topics have been engaging, inclusive of a cross section of our societies. We are going to continue to bring voices from all who have a story to tell and conversations that bring awareness to everyone.
This week’s show titled: “Surviving the prison system” will have two of the most prolific soldiers for defending and getting brothers and sisters out of the “belly of the beast”, Amy Ralston Povah, a clemency worker extraordinaire and renown attorney Nkechi Taifa. These two sisters have done remarkable work to gain the freedom of brothers and sisters. Our other two guest are two brothers who served over 63 years between them: Rufus Rochelle and Darryl Hope.
Amy Ralston Povah is the founder CAN-DO, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit foundation that advocates Clemency for All Non-violent Drug Offenders. Behind every face on the CANDO website is a human with a story. Most people featured have been locked up for decades. An accomplished filmmaker and activist, her efforts have focused primarily on issues related to executive clemency, criminal justice reform, conspiracy laws, women in prison and the drug war.
Amy is a Clinton-era clemency recipient who served 9 years of a 24-year sentence for “conspiracy” in an MDMA case. Post-release, Amy started the non-profit CAN-DO Foundation, Clemency Nonviolent Drug Offenders that advocates for “justice through clemency.” CAN-DO educates the public about the collateral damage associated with the conspiracy law and profiles the cases of clemency applicants.
Nkechi Taifa is an attorney, activist, author and a strong advocate for H.R. 40. Named after the broken 1865 promise to restructure Confederate land to former slaves—promoted as “40 acres and a mule”—H.R. 40 was first introduced by the late Representative John Conyers in 1989, one year after Japanese Americans won a formal apology from the U.S. government and reparations for their internment during World War II.
Ms. Taifa has a rich his-tory, specializing in the advancement of projects which enrich the legal, educational, cultural and financial health of the community. Nkechi is a visionary and seasoned professional with 40 years of experience as an accomplished justice system reform strategist, advocate and scholar. She is an exceptional leader who advances creative, cut-ting edge approaches that encourage out-of-the-box thinking and action.
An article in Politico.com written by Sam Stein titled ‘The Real Scandal Is the Pardon Trump Didn’t Give’ is in reference to Rufus Roshell. I’ve known Rufus for over 15 years and saw how he never let things get him down . He was busted in the 1980s for selling drugs. His cellmate Conrad Black, whose friend is “THE” Donald, pardoned Black whom Rufus had writ-ten several letters for, it seemed only fair that Rufus would soon be out. Never mind that he seemed to be a prime candidate for clemency with an exemplary record in prison, it didn’t happened.
The Gentleman, as he was called during his 35-year sentence, Rufus Rochell remained upbeat, kind and forward-looking. For more than three decades behind bars, he’s immersed himself in service to others—a kind of remarkable self-rehabilitation. From his sister’s home in Micanopy, Florida, he serves the remainder of his sentence on house arrest. He is committed to using his live Facebook as a platform to seek the release of prisoners from a death trap. Prisoners are 5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than the overall population. Rufus at 69-year is an old prisoner trying to change that, one livestream at a time.
Darryl Hope, also known as “Hope”, is a take-charge business man and entrepreneur who endeavors to empower individuals to live out their lives in faith and on purpose despite the challenges of life. After serving 31 years in prison, due to a non-violent drug offense, Darryl is on a mission to bring awareness and change to the culturally-biased judicial system. Darryl is a Brother, Father, Grandfather, Uncle, a confidant and mentor to many. When he is not working on legal matters and barber duties, he is in the gym or on the tracks working out, read-ing books and spending time with his loved ones. Darryl is in the building stages of projects that he hopes one day will leave a legacy behind for his community and family.
Tune in Thursday, February 25th at 8pm
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