Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series

Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series on Alcatraz Island

Troy Williams/Restorative Media

The Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series is a program on Alcatraz Island that lifts up and highlights the voices of people who have spent time inside of jails and prisons. The National Park Service believes in parks as platforms for dialogue, and Alcatraz Island, being one of the only NPS sites that interprets mass incarceration, works directly with people who have been affected in order to give them a platform to showcase their stories.

Speaker events are offered on various Saturdays from May-September 2026, from 1 - 2 PM. While all events are free, a ferry ticket is required to reach Alcatraz. Purchase ferry tickets at Alcatraz City Cruises. We recommend the 12 PM boat or earlier.

If you are part of a justice-impacted group and are interested in attending one of the days, please email us about community tickets for these events.

 

 

Courtesy Abercrombie

May Speakers

5/9 Eric Abercrombie, Sound Designer, Uncuffed

Eric “Maserati-E” Abercrombie was born in Oakland, California. While incarcerated, he learned sound design and film. Now, as a returned citizen, he works to show the world that people are not defined by their past circumstances. Join E on Alcatraz to learn about his journey of transformation, the lessons he learned while he was incarcerated, and the work he is doing now.

After returning home, E was a co-host of The Last Mile Radio on SiriusXM and is currently the Sound Designer for the podcast Uncuffed, which is produced in Solano State Prison and San Quentin State Prison. He is also a facilitator of the 10P Program, teaching emotional literacy and emotional intelligence in Solano State Prison.

 

Courtesy DeRouen

5/23 Willard DeRouen Jr., Project Outreach Manager

Willard will explore the deeply personal and often overlooked impact of incarceration on families, particularly the separation of parents and children. Drawing from lived experience as a formerly incarcerated father, this talk highlights the pain of family separation, rebuilding trust with children, navigating stigma after release, and the journey toward healing and accountability. It will also examine how systems can create barriers to reunification and stability for families affected by incarceration.

 

Courtesy Leonard Boone

June Speakers

6/6 Leonard Boone, Peer Mentor, Rising Scholars

Recently paroled after completing a 24-year sentence, Leonard began his transformation with a desire to understand when his life has taken such a drastic turn. By taking classes on emotional intelligence, criminal thinking and behavior, substance abuse disorder treatment, and beyond, he realized that he had developed many negative core beliefs and character defects. Once these were identified, he replaced them with coping skills that have allowed him to be a positive member of society.

Leonard is currently a college student pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Communications, working as a student mentor in the Rising Scholars Program, and is creating a social club for formerly incarcerated students. He has dedicated his life to being a positive example and showing what someone can accomplish with sincerity and diligence.

 

Courtesy Cenea

6/13 Mariah Cenea, Student Fellow, CROP Organization

After spending 21 years incarcerated, Mariah returned home determined to turn experience into purpose. Re-entering society came with many challenges, especially navigating adulthood for the first time and learning basic skills, like navigating the internet, finances, and obtaining vital records. Through the organization CROP, she found a safe space to grow, develop leadership skills, and build the mindset needed to move forward.

In her current work, Mariah is passionate about helping people who are returning from incarceration access stable housing, education, and real opportunities. She uses a trauma-informed and gender responsive perspective, shaped by her lived experience as a transgender woman navigating reentry. Her goal is to use her voice, story, and leadership to advocate for second chances and stronger communities.

 

Courtesy Thompson

July Speakers

7/4 Malcolm Thompson, Peer Navigator, CORE Reentry Services

Through his personal journey from growing up without his father, to incarceration, to now working for CORE Reentry Services, Malcolm has learned that many of the decisions that lead folks into cycles of incarceration come from unprocessed emotions, trauma, and reacting instead of thinking. During his talk, he will share how emotional intelligence became a survival skill for him before and after being incarcerated.

“It helps you manage anger, avoid conflict, and make better decisions in high-pressure environments where one reaction can change your life,” Malcolm explains. He now teaches others who are navigating the reentry process how emotional intelligence can be a foundation for growth. “Emotional intelligence is not weakness. It is power. It is the difference between repeating cycles and creating real change.”

 

August Speakers

8/1 Ayana Thomas, Grief Counselor, Ayana Thomas Initiative

Ayana will share the work she does to support women, particularly those impacted by the criminal legal system, as they navigate grief, trauma, and the journey of rebuilding their lives. While traditional reentry services often focus on employment, housing, and compliance, her Grief Beyond the Gavel curriculum addresses the emotional and mental healing that is essential but often overlooked.

Through both lived experience and professional practice, Ayana explores the deep layers of disenfranchisement and compounded grief -- grief connected to incarceration, family separation, loss of identity, and systemic harm.

 

Courtesy Gonsoulin

8/8 Brian Gonsoulin, Director Inside Program Expansion, Back to the Start

Brian is a notable multimedia producer and advocate for criminal justice reform. While incarcerated, he was pivotal in establishing the San Quentin Media Center, served as Executive Director of the San Quentin Prison Report and was the General Manager for the San Quentin Basketball Program. Since his release, he has continued his work at KALW Radio and the Uncuffed podcast, and is also a producer for the groundbreaking San Quentin Film Festival.

 

8/15 Anthony Pickens, Expert Gange Witness, Pickens Legal

Anthony is a justice advocate, public speaker, and formerly incarcerated youth offender who was sentenced to prison at the age of 15. After serving 24 years, he demonstrated an extraordinary rehabilitation and personal transformation, leading to his sentence commutation.

Following his release, Anthony continued his commitment to justice and community empowerment. He previously served as a Legislative Advocate with the Oregon Justice Resource Center, where he worked on criminal justice reform and policy advocacy. He now operates his own business as a freelance paralegal and expert gang witness. Anthony played an instrumental role in the successful campaign to remove the slavery exception from the Oregon Constitution, contributing to the effort while incarcerated and after his release.

 

Courtesy Benoit

September Speakers

9/5 Rafaella Benoit, Student, UC Berkeley

Facing 40 years to life in prison due to California's three strikes law, Rafaella’s addiction was too strong and shame too deep. After 6 overdoses, she was arrested and sentenced to 8 years 8 months.

After completing her AA in Psychology and transferring to UC Berkely, she is now pursuing a double major in Psychology and Sociology and proposing her own research. Rafaella will share her story with the hopes of inspiring others’ to improve their lives. “I firmly believe that all of my hardship was worthwhile if I am able to make a difference in someone else's life.”

 

Courtesy Galvis

9/12 George Galvis, Executive Director, Communities United for Restorative Justice

George is the Co-founder and executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice. He will talk about his personal experience helping young people, particularly those involved in the criminal justice system, to become community leaders for positive change.

At 17, George was incarcerated and charged with multiple felonies related to his participation in a drive-by shooting. Today, he advocates for at-risk youth, prisoners, and formerly incarcerated individuals with children. As the Chair of the Board of Directors for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, George helped create All of Us or None, which fights for the rights of formerly and currently incarcerated people and families.

 

Courtesy Burger

9/26 Lashinna Burger, Advanced Medical Support Assistant, U.S. Veterans Affairs

After surviving domestic violence and the tragic loss of her child, Lashinna was wrongfully incarcerated for 14 months on charges that were ultimately dismissed. Now, she uses her experiences to inspire transformation and healing in others, helping them to navigate trauma, the justice system, and personal growth.

Lashinna is a mental health advocate and psychology student at Regent University. She volunteers in correctional settings, facilitating group sessions focused on accountability, healing, and resilience. Professionally, she serves veterans as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is also the founder of Lashinna Virtual Solutions and is pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, with a focus on trauma and underserved populations.