Imagine being judged by your actions on the worst day of your life. Imagine being 18 years old and receiving a sentence of life in prison without parole.
This is the story of Eugene Youngblood, a facilitator with Renton-based not-for-profit organization the Freedom Project. After 29-and-a-half years, Youngblood was released from prison when the Washington clemency and pardons board found that Youngblood’s personal transformation and the work he did to support other prisoners was extraordinary.
Youngblood and his wife, Karla, visited the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Magnolia on Sept. 25 for a program called “What Does Justice Look Like,” one in a series hosted by the Healing & Justice Ministry of the church, led by The Rev. Heather Wenrick.
Youngblood described having been a child of an incarcerated mother, his struggle to find family through membership in a gang at age 11, and his passion for building meaningful relationships and education. With a life sentence, Youngblood was unable to complete his education, but through borrowing books and becoming a teacher’s assistant in GED- and college-level courses, he learned nonetheless and is an inspiration for others.
Audience members at “What Does Justice Look Like” were visibly moved when Youngblood told how he had felt as an adolescent that his life wasn’t worth anything. He described how in prison certain individuals helped him to learn his self-value, including a woman who brought him a dictionary when he had a year of solitary confinement.
In his work with the Freedom Project, Youngblood helps young people understand their personal value, with a philosophy of affirmation over information — affirming a youth’s life and presence first and showing care and concern consistently.
When Youngblood entered prison over 30 years ago, technology didn’t include the Internet, apps or social media. He was just 18. Like a modern-day Rip Van Winkle, upon release Youngblood saw himself clearly in the mirror for the first time — with wrinkles and graying hair — in almost 30 years. He has had to ask for help with things such as how to cut and paste in Microsoft Word and being told “my 5-year-old can do that,” thus continually needing to explain the gap and re-live that worst day of his life.
A happier part of Youngblood’s story is that his girlfriend at 18, Karla, was there for him when he was released decades later; they are now married.
“I not only have gotten a chance to have a second chance at life, but I’ve also gotten a second chance at love,” Youngblood said.
“What Does Justice Look Like” builds on programming many of the church’s parishioners experienced through Sacred Ground, a series in which small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, through film and readings, while weaving in the threads of family story, economic class and political and regional identity.
Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, the Episcopal church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation and justice in our personal lives, our ministries and our society.
To learn more about the work of the Freedom Project or contribute to its mission, visit freedomprojectwa.org, email connect@freedomprojectwa.org, or call (206) 325-5678.