Barakah (Edward Sanders)

Barakah (Edward Sanders) is 1 of 1,000. At 17 years old, he was condemned to die in prison. After serving 42 years in Michigan, Barakah is one of the 1,000 individuals sentenced to juvenile life without parole who are now FREE! Going into prison, Barakah was illiterate so he took a Writ Writers Course, equipping him to assist other incarcerated individuals who were illiterate or disabled in filing writs with state and federal courts, becoming an instructor of civil, criminal, and administrative law with consistently overflowing attendance. Barakah remains driven to serve those still serving juvenile life without parole in Michigan, the state with the highest population of people serving JLWOP. Since coming home, he’s been dedicated to conveying his lived experience to spark constructive thinking and positive social change for those who have not yet been released. After receiving his master’s degree from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2020, he worked as a consultant and researcher for the School of Information, leading the Oral History Project to give a voice to former juvenile lifers. Today, he’s writing a book. Barakah is also starting a business called Sentencing Solutions to continue his work as a re-entry specialist, building on his experience as the only formerly incarcerated person who worked for a prosecutor’s office in the nation, assisting the conviction, integrity and expungement unit (CIU). His favorite pastimes are prayer, reading, and running.