Poor choices led Patrick Rodriguez—Executive Director of a prison education program at Georgia State University—to extensive time in prison. However, his time in prison demythologized conceptions of the incarcerated as hopelessly depraved individuals as he found a community of “mentors” who wanted better for him and even advocated for him, enabling him to understand his choices and see a potential future beyond them. Consequently, that led to his role in prison education, seeking to end the stigma attached to incarcerated people, create space for collaboration, and reduce the return to prison pipeline through access to higher education.
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Intersectionality in the American South