Abd'Allah Lateef

Abd’Allah Lateef is 1 of 1,000. At 17 years old, he was sentenced to life without parole in Pennsylvania. After serving 31 years, Abd’Allah is one of the 1,000 individuals who were told they’d die in prison as a child and are now FREE! Without hope or expectation of ever being released from prison, Abd’Allah devoted himself to personal and collective transformation, serving as a mentor, religious advisor, faith leader, and reform advocate. His strategic and thoughtful leadership style has been central to the CFSY where he now serves as Deputy Director. Since his release in the fall of 2017, he has met all of his initial 5 year milestones. He has found a place to leverage his knowledge, skill and lived- experience to advance racial equity and transformative healing justice. He has been able to purchase a reliable vehicle and experience first-time homeownership. However, he says, “beyond these temporal, materialistic niceties that are often out of reach for historically marginalized and formerly incarcerated persons, what I am most proud of and thankful for is the opportunity to contribute to the joy and wellness of my blended family and the ways in which I can be proximate to a beloved community of people who, through everyday acts of grace, kindness, love and joy, are building the world that we aspire to live in.”