PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — LaTrista Webb is a licensed social worker turned-recidivism change agent.
As founder and executive director of the Elevation Project, Webb has helped thousands of formerly incarcerated people find new pathways in life after time served.
“...These are the people that society would throw away,” Webb said. “And that's hurtful. Because most of them are Black men. They look like my brother. They look like my dad, they know, they're Black men. And we're so easy, and so willing to throw them away.”
This career is a passion she says was ignited in part by trying to help her own loved ones who had encountered the justice system.
“What [my friend, who was incarcerated for 17 years] needed, specifically, was economic stability. And so, you know, I was connected to resources, so I could connect him to jobs. But those jobs weren't what he needed. He needed something that he could be proud of, have ownership in and really grow with. And so he started a moving company, which was named after his mother, who died less than 60 days before he came home. And so he named the company after her. And I watched what that did for him. And so I wondered, could we replicate that? Can we replicate that for others?”
And that’s what inspired the organization's business incubator project that connects returning citizens to meaningful, valuable work by helping them launch their own ideas.
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Webb says they opened the first of its kind in West Philly at 63rd and Haverford streets, and it's specifically for formerly incarcerated men.
She says people can come in, take an eight-week class of instruction and two weeks of preparation, and at the end of the 10 weeks, do a “pitch day,” where they pitch their business to the community.
After that, they help them register their business with the state, and they “become a part of our family,” Webb explained. She says they are then able to run their business out of their office.
“... If we can provide men opportunities to start their own, then maybe we can help them to stay home because they have a sense of pride and ownership,” she added.
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Webb says their methods are a pathway to safer, healthier communities.
They even host an annual block party. This year's edition, which featured rappers Beanie Sigel, Freeway and Peedi Crakk, connected more than 100 people to resources and free legal services to help aid in successful reentry.
“I'm known for saying that there's 86,400 seconds in a day. And it's up to you what you do with them. So I would imagine that there's thousands of guys who would give that speech and say they got it from me.”
For more information on the organization and upcoming events, check out their Instagram.
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