From Incarceration to Leading Social Reform
After 34 years within the system, I’ve learned the value of integrity, accountability, and the courage it takes to turn a hard past into hope for our communities by listening to those most harmed and willingly choosing every day to build something better from what we’ve survived.
Real Change Today
Real change is the confirmation of knowing who you are and what you hope to gain from life. It is the deep understanding that no true goal is reached without willing sacrifice, commitment, and dedication. When we accept this, we stop waiting for the world to change for us and start becoming the people who change the world around us.
Leading Through Story
My experience as an at-risk youth, growing up in the streets of Washington, D.C., helped me understand the conditions and pressure that young people face every day. My story as a juvenile shows how quickly a child can be pulled into the juvenile system—and why we must reach them before the streets do. Today I use that same story to speak directly to youth, families, and communities so we can interrupt that cycle and build a different path together.
The Reality of Prison
The reality of prison is the most expensive lesson a person can pay for. It costs time, relationships, and pieces of who you are. Prison is not a movie or a music video. It is years of lost time, broken families, and quiet regret. In this talk, I share what 34 years inside really looked like—the routines, the violence, the loneliness—and how small choices on the street can lead to decades behind bars.
Truth for Today's Youth
Start with knowing yourself.
That’s the strongest skill you will ever build.
It won’t be easy. You’ll need courage and stamina to face your story.
You’ll have to look at the pain, the choices, and the patterns that keep pulling you back.
But when you find your anchor and stand on it, you’ll see your life is a gem, not a mistake.
From there, you don’t just survive—you lead.
You become proof that change is real, and your story becomes light for the next person still trapped in the dark.
Faith and Restoration
Your faith is a gift that shines out to the world who you are.
Never let anyone extinguish your light.
Use caution when choosing who you share your gifts with.
Protect your gift by restoring your patience.
Paths to Better Future
To understand the present is awaking the your growth about your future.
Your future doesn’t change by accident.
It changes when you finally see your present clearly—
who you’re with, what you’re doing, and where it’s really taking you.
When you face that truth, you can step off the old road
and choose a path that leads to freedom, not repeat time.
Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders
Victory At 34 aims to equip young people with real-life skills so they can face everyday challenges with confidence, wisdom, and hope. Our mentorship walks with youth through the pressures of daily life, giving them the tools and support they need to rise above their challenges and learn how to lead with purpose.
1. Connect
Connect with a mentor and a community that listens, supports, and challenges you to grow.
2. Commit
Commit to doing the inner work—healing, learning, and growing—so you can lead yourself before you lead others.
3. Take Action
Take action through real, measurable steps—joining local initiatives, starting small projects, speaking up, and showing up where your community needs you most.
Victory Together
Support the Movement:
Victory At 34 means more than words. It represents integrity, accountability, social reform, community empowerment, and dignity of self-worth. The pillars it's founded on: from time served to time to serve, is only its moral obligations.To walk with this movement is to listen to the story, learn from it, and help turn it into action, healing, and juustice.
We invite you to stand with this movement in whatever way fits your journey best. Join our groups to find a safe and supportive space to grow with others who care about making a difference.
You can also Attend Events to hear powerful stories or Partner with Us to team up for a better future.
Let Us Join Your Journey
We are eager to partner with you. Use this form to invite us to speak, request mentorship, or explore bringing Victory At 34 initiatives to your local organizations.
Washington D.C.
activism@victory34.org