Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Celebrated NYC Justice Corps Graduation

July 21, 2010-----Restoration was joined by policy reformers, community leaders, and the community-at-large in honoring 30 resilient young men and women enhancing their communities and their own lives. The ceremony included a rousing performance by Blitz the Ambassador and unforgettable speeches made by Senator Velmanette Montgomery; Colvin Grannum, President of Restoration; and Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Community partners were also honored at the ceremony for their unbreakable commitment to the program and included Carl Luciano, Claudette Brady, Divas for Social Justice, Antioch Baptist Church, Dwight Johnson Designs, Bridge Street Development Corporation, and Black Veterans for Social Justice. The sentiment and support that surrounded the graduates was moving and intangible. The audience fell silent and emotions were exposed once Javaun Murdaugh, graduate and Corps Member Leadership Award recipient, stood before his audience and uttered his appreciation for the program, “this program changed my life; it made me a man and gave me the opportunity to graduate from something --- and I had never graduated from anything before.”

The NYC Justice Corps is a program sponsored by the Center for Economic Opportunity, the City’s anti-poverty initiative. The program provides formerly incarcerated young people between the ages of 18 and 24 with meaningful service opportunities within their communities, vocational training, internship opportunities, and job placement and educational support.
.

Restoration's Justice Corps 2010 from RESTORATION on Vimeo.

Filmed by Justice Corps members and edited and produced by Clarisa james, Director, Divas for Social Jusitce