“We passed that bill when everyone said it couldn’t be done,” Reed said.
He also said some people told him he shouldn’t affiliate himself with the Trump administration while he pushed for the bill.
“The entire time I was incarcerated, I never met a person who said … I want to get back home to my mama’s house, but I don’t want to do it if there’s a Republican in the White House.”
Jones brought Reed with him into his current organization fighting for justice at REFORM Alliance. REFORM Alliance is, another, non-bipartisan group whose board includes Jones, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jay-Z, hip-hop artist Meek Mill and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and CEO Mike Rubin on the board.
Reed is proud of how far he’s come since getting out of prison but admitted he still occasionally feels the imposter syndrome. Each day living among civilians is a statistical miracle for him. He said according to the American Bar Association, there are more than 46,000 collateral consequences … that lead to other convictions.
“You have a one in 45,000 chance of succeeding,” Reed said, taking a breath to let the number sink in.
