Khary Bekka is a native New Yorker from Red Hook, Brooklyn. He works for AFSC’s Healing Justice Program in New York City, which works with people affected by the criminal justice system. In 1993, Khary was sentenced to 25 years to life. He returned home in January 2019. He is an activist, storyteller, Quaker, and an advocate for restorative justice.

Sophia: What does being a Quaker mean to you?

West Virginia, like many other states, has experienced a dramatic increase in the prison population over the last few decades. And once people finish serving their sentence, they continue to face punishment for their criminal conviction –confronting many barriers while transitioning to life outside of the prison walls.