Free of Prison, Shaka Senghor Looks Back on a Life of Violence, Trauma and Child Abuse

Detroit native Shaka Senghor is a rare voice in the fight against mass incarceration and extreme violence in many black communities. The onetime drug dealer, who was shot at age 17 and sentenced to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder at age 19, has used every bit of his time since his release in 2010 to raise awareness about much-needed prison reform and, more importantly, the need to disrupt young people’s path to prison in the first place.