Brittany Lovely on Ten Years Home

By Brittany Lovely (Leading with Conviction™ 2022):

Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the life I have created for myself.

On June 16, 2015, I was released from prison without a solid understanding of what was next for me. I had $40, a bus pass, and some serious determination to build a different life against all odds. What that ultimately became was a life rooted in community, family, and the enduring fight for justice.

I built a new life, but I will not stop there. I will continue to build—new systems, new visions, new futures rooted in justice.

Since my release, I’ve done so much – here is a non-exhaustive list in no particular order:

• Earned two college degrees
• Enrolled at Georgetown University Law Center, where I am a rising 3L
• Co-founded the Abolition Advocacy Project, an organization integrating abolitionist aims into the Georgetown legal education and supporting abolitionist efforts in the broader DMV
• Found meaningful love and started a family
• Became a mom to the most incredible little guy
• Held Georgetown accountable for denying access to accommodations for pregnant, parenting, and other students in need under national pressure
• Advocated for the passage of WA HB 1078, restoring voting rights to all people in the community
• Named the 2022 WA State Association of College Trustees Transforming Lives Award winner
• Connected with powerful formerly and currently incarcerated advocates making real change in this world
• Served in a variety of roles focused on justice, advocacy, and community
• Built beautiful friendships
• Spoke at Congressional press conferences, universities, nonprofits, and national convenings about incarceration, reentry, and liberation
• Assisted in building pathways of support for others returning home
• Co-chair the Voting Rights Restoration Working Group, working to reintroduce the Democracy Restoration Act in the 118th Congress (119th coming)

This has been a decade of deep transformation.

Ten years home means ten years of showing up for myself, finding new ways to grow and heal for me, my family, and my community. Ten years of proof of what is possible when we invest in people, not prisons. I built a new life, but I will not stop there. I will continue to build—new systems, new visions, new futures rooted in justice.

There have been times in my life when I questioned if I would survive. No more — I am thriving. While I continue to carry the weight of my past, I also carry pride, gratitude, humility, and fierce determination to keep going and growing. This is what redemption looks like. This is resilience on the path to liberation.

I will keep showing up for myself. I will keep showing up for my community.

Liberation for all.

Cheers to the next decade.

(Text and photos re-posted from LinkedIn by permission)