Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series

Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series on Alcatraz Island

Troy Williams/Restorative Media

Saturdays throughout the Summer, 2-3 PM

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.

The events occur on multiple Saturdays throughout the summer, from 2-3 PM. See the specific dates below. While the event is free, you must purchase a ticket to the island. To purchase ferry tickets, visit the Alcatraz City Cruises website.

If you are a community leader working with the formerly incarcerated community and you would like to bring a group to an upcoming program in the series, please email us. If you have any accessibility needs such as ASL translation, please contact [e-mail] at least 5 days in advance.

For more information on the Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series, or other community outreach initiatives (including ranger-led programs), please contact [e-mail].

Upcoming dates, 2-3 PM:

• June 7 and 14
• July 12 and 19
• August 2, 9 and 16
• September 6 and 13

 

Image courtesy Precious Johnson

Meet the Speakers

June 7: Precious Johnson

Precious Johnson is a reentry life coach, advocate, and podcast host of Insightful Xchange. As founder of Fresh Pathways, she empowers system-impacted individuals through coaching, storytelling, and curriculum, drawing from her own 15-year journey of incarceration and transformation.

 

Image courtesy Shani Shay

June 14: Shani Shay

Shani Shay is the founder and director of UC Berkeley’s Incarceration to College program, which offers college readiness courses, workshops, tutoring and coaching to incarcerated youth to help them succeed in college. Shay teaches classes that help students work on life skills, college applications, and financial aid assistance. She has a B.A. in African-American Studies with a minor in Education from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

 

May's Speakers

May 10: Joseph Beaman

Joseph Beaman is a software engineer. In this talk, Joseph will share about his experience in prison, his personal transformation, and how he came to be where he is today. Despite what you might think, prison provided a unique environment where he could leverage his tech skills, managing the prison’s CCTV channels and using media equipment and software. Joseph is passionate about this career field, which provides him with ample opportunity to learn and to create a positive change for people.

May 17: Richard Mireles

Richard Mireles is the Director of Personal Development and Outreach with CROP (Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs), a nonprofit that provides formerly incarcerated people with reentry support and job training. He will talk about this work, where he leads initiatives that equip people with the mindset, skills, and confidence needed to thrive after incarceration.

Richard’s own journey is a testament to the power of transformation. While serving 21 years, he earned a bachelor's degree in management, became an ordained minister, and dedicated himself to mentoring others. Since his release, he has spoken at high schools, colleges, churches, and more. He is the host of CROP’s Prison Post Podcast, where he shares powerful stories of transformation, resilience, and justice reform.

May 24: John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a pastor at the Christ Centered Missionary Baptist Church in Hayward, California. He preaches a socially conscious gospel, empowering citizens to dismantle systems of oppression by organizing and mobilizing. He will share his own journey of redemption and restoration, as well as his advocacy work for the marginalized, underserved and forgotten voices in our communities.

John works for Rubicon Programs Inc., a Bay Area nonprofit that provides job readiness, education and vocational opportunities to justice-impacted single parents. As a justice-impacted individual, John attended San Francisco State University with the support of Project Rebound. While studying, he was awarded a fellowship to work with the city’s Board of Supervisors. He graduated with honors in December 2022, earning a bachelor’s degree in Race and Resistance Studies.