June 14, 2019, Staff Reports - The Philadelphia Inquirer
In 2017, Philadelphia’s City Council declared June to be Reentry Awareness Month, meant to build support for individuals who have been released from prison and are therefore “reentering” society. This work from over 100 organizations in the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition reflects part of “national efforts to raise awareness of reentry’s importance,” the mayor’s office announced that month.
Since then, the city and country have talked about reentry more and more. Last week in Pennsylvania, a bipartisan group of lawmakers took steps to make June a statewide “reentry month.” But, according to many people directly impacted by these programs, “reentry” doesn’t tell the full story.
Here are perspectives from Media Justice Fellows — all of whom are living reentry — working with Philadelphia’s Reentry Think Tank to produce journalism that changes the narrative.