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Algunas partes de esta página se generan automáticamente y podrían contener errores menores. Se recomienda usar el juicio crítico al interactuar con ella.
Patrice Palmer (Leading with Conviction™ 2015) was profiled recently in The Ohio State University alumni magazine:
“A licensed social worker and social justice advocate in Columbus, Palmer helps people stop cycling through the criminal justice system and instead build personal and professional success. For her exceptional work, in 2022, the world’s largest membership organization for professional social workers named her National Social Worker of the Year. This year, she was named a YWCA Woman of Achievement.
“On this October afternoon, Palmer is teaching for Alvis, a nonprofit agency that helps those who’ve been imprisoned reenter society. Her class is part of the mayor’s EDGE (Empower Development by Gaining Employment) Program, an intensive five-month course giving people tools to overcome challenges post-incarceration.
In a weeklong class that is part of the mayor’s EDGE (Empower Development by Gaining Employment) Program, Patrice Palmer teaches people to succeed after prison by finding their authentic selves. (Photo: Jodi Miller)
If you don’t love yourself,
you won’t change.
“Twice a year, Palmer leads one-week cohorts, sharing her own experience and expertise. She says it’s about ‘helping people to remember their past, embrace their present and envision their future.’
“This class is one commitment in a jam-packed schedule that follows a particularly trying year: Palmer broke her wrist and battled COVID-19, then dealt with ensuing depression. But today, it seems like she hasn’t lost a step.
“Palmer commands the room with charisma and raw authenticity. Her face is expressive, her voice electric. Under buzzing fluorescent lights, she speaks without a script — asking questions, absorbing people’s answers and riffing off them, constantly in motion even though she’s seated.
“‘You got to commit,’ Palmer tells her students. ‘Accountability. Determination. It all starts with self-care, self-love. If you don’t love yourself, you won’t change. If you don’t feel worthy, whatcha gonna do?’
“Bam! She slaps her palms together.
“‘Self-destruct!’
“Palmer has walked this path herself. Former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, who invited Palmer to be his guest at the 2020 State of the Union address, calls her ‘a shining example, a living embodiment that recovery is possible.’
“‘I have a criminal record longer than Cleveland Avenue,’ Palmer tells the class. ‘I was Bonnie and Clyde all by myself. But since then, I’ve been to the White House. I spoke to congressional staff. I have two degrees from The Ohio State University.’”
Read the full story at OSU.edu.
(Photos above: Jodi Miller / The Ohio State University)
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By making a donation in honor of JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
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Since 2014, JustLeadershipUSA has maintained our commitment to ensuring systems-impacted voices are at the forefront of the movement for criminal legal reform, empowering directly impacted leaders in over 45 states with the tools, resources, and connections to transform their work.
Your donation will provide crucial support for our leadership training programs, empowering future generations of leaders and propelling the work of JLUSA and our alumni as we continue to advocate and push reform on issues that matter the most in our communities.
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