Urban Incarceration: Overcoming Stereotypes: Proof That You Can Make It

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With over 15 years of advocacy experience and more than a decade specializing in educational and court interpreting, Eloisa V. Baez is passionate about empowering individuals and families through access, representation, and support.

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This episode was hosted by Sterling Brown

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
If you have ever been told by someone that you're not
capable of attaining success,if you have made mistakes or
lived in an underprivilegedneighborhood, then this podcast
is for you.
You are now locked in toStruggle2 Success.
Struggle2 Success aims toinspire individuals to navigate
life's challenges with courage,fortitude and unwavering

(00:21):
determination.
So if you're in your carjogging or somewhere else trying
to find the calm in the storm,then join Struggle to Success
airing every other Saturday.
Remember life is trials.
Stay focused.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
They say that once you've been labeled, that's all
you'll ever be, and in mostcases, they're right until you
prove them wrong.
Be, and in most cases, they'reright until you prove them wrong
.
Hello, wonderful people,welcome back to the Struggle to
Success podcast.
I'm your host, sterling Brown,and yes, I was once a convicted
felon.
This episode is for anybodywho's ever been underestimated,

(00:59):
overlooked or misjudged becauseof their past.
If that's you or someone youlove, lock in, because today
we're talking about how torebuild your identity after
incarceration and the truth theydon't tell you about what the
process really feels like.
In 2017, I applied for aparaprofessional job at a school

(01:19):
district not far from my home.
I had experience, I had heart,but I also had a felony.
I marked the box and kept itmoving because by then, I was
used to rejection.
But this time, somethingdifferent happened.
A director pulled me to theside, looked me straight in my
eyes and said with youraccomplishments, it will be

(01:40):
criminal if you continue to liveunder this cloud.
It would be criminal if youcontinued to live under this
cloud.
That moment stuck with me, notbecause it felt good, but
because, deep down, a part of mestill believed the cloud was
mine to carry.
Even after everything I haddone to grow, I was still living
under the weight of the past.
But here's the thing thoseweren't heavy, obvious chains,

(02:07):
they were thin, solid, made ofpaper Court documents, criminal
background checks, publicdatabases.
They don't clank when you walk,they rustle, but they bind you
all the same.
Picture this A man walks into aninterview Fresh suit, fresh
mindset.
He's ready, he's done the work,he's proud of how far he's come

(02:27):
.
But every step he takes,something follows paper change.
On one sheet, background checkfailed, another felony record
flagged, then voting rightsdenied and the last one, housing
application rejected.
They don't see the man, theysee the paper.

(02:47):
My chains don't rattle, butthey speak.
They whisper, felon, before Ido, let's go deeper.
A man stands outside hisbathroom, fresh shirt, tie
straight, child in his arms,ready to face the world.
But the mirror?
It doesn't reflect the growth,it reflects the ghost.

(03:08):
He sees himself in an orangejumpsuit, a tired face, an ID
number, flickering lights behindhim, a distant tower, a locked
door.
He wipes the mirror, but theimage doesn't change.
Because even when you've donethe work, even when you've
healed, society might still showyou the same broken reflection.

(03:32):
And sometimes it's not abouthow you see yourself.
It's about how they've taughtyou to see yourself.
You ever get out but still feellocked up.
I'm not talking about the cellor the system.
I'm talking about your mind,your peace, your spirit.
How you question your wortheven when you've done everything
right, how you wonder if you'llever be more than the label.

(03:53):
Nobody tells you this part, thatafter you've done your time
there's another sentence waiting.
And this is the one that'smental.
Let's be real.
Being labeled felon ain't juststatus, it's weight.
And that weight shows up inyour walk, your posture, your
dreams.
You might have survived thesentence, but now you're

(04:15):
fighting the residual.
So how do you heal?
You reframe your story, not tolie about your past, but to
reclaim the truth about yourfuture.
Stop calling yourself what theycalled you and you start
calling yourself what you'rebecoming Father, provider,
leader, healed man.
You find your people, the oneswho aren't afraid of your scars,

(04:39):
the ones who see your growth,not your rap sheet, the ones who
remind you you're not alone inthis, and you forgive yourself.
That's the hardest part,because healing doesn't start in
the courtroom, it doesn't startin the re-entry program.
It starts in the quiet momentwhen you're whispering to
yourself I'm not my worstmistake.

(05:01):
I'm the proof that change isreal.
Let's breathe for a secondworst mistake.
I'm the proof that change isreal.
Let's breathe for a second.
Wherever you are on a jog, inyour car, at your job, in your
house take a deep breath with meand repeat this I am not who I

(05:22):
was, I am who I decide to be.
What will your life look likeif you finally believe you
deserve the freedom you alreadyhave?
Let's bring the facts in.
Right now, over 70 millionAmericans have a criminal record
.
That's one in three adults.
One third of our populationdrag in paper chains.
Some of us can't vote, some ofus can't rent, some can't work.
Some can't sleep at nightbecause of the mistakes we've

(05:44):
already paid for.
Some can't work.
Some can't sleep at nightbecause of the mistakes we've
already paid for.
And Michelle Alexander said itthe best Once you're labeled a
felon, the old forms ofdiscrimination employment,
housing, voting are suddenlylegal.
Let that sink in.
The punishment doesn't end withthe time served.
It continues every time someoneGoogles your name.
So what now?

(06:07):
We build community.
We stop letting society isolateus.
We connect.
We check on each other.
We speak the truth.
Don't break stereotypes byyelling.
You break them by beingconsistent, being present and
being unapologetically excellent.
And we take ownership.
We don't just want freedom fromthe system, we want freedom

(06:30):
from the shame, because if wekeep walking like we're still in
chains, we teach the next man,the next young man, that freedom
ain't possible.
Let's teach him something else.
Here's your challenge this weekWrite down your story, but not
from your past, from your future, just one page at a time.
Start with the words today I ambecoming, because if you can

(06:55):
speak it, you can become.
It going to be a straight line,but it is real and it's
definitely worth it.
So, to every person stillcarrying the invisible chains I
see you, I was you and I promiseyou you can outgrow this label.
You are not your record, youare your redemption.

(07:16):
In our next episode, we'reclosing out the Urban
Incarceration Series with mybrother, Corey Angelo.
He served 10 years and came outswinging.
He's a podcaster, a father, anauthor and a walking testimony
that your story ain't overunless you stop writing it.
So don't miss it! And if nobodytold you this week, you're

(07:39):
doing better than you think,keep going, keep healing, not
for the approval, but for yourown freedom.
This is Sterling Brown and thisis the Struggle2 Success
Podcast.
And until next time.
Remember life is trials.
Stay focused.