Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been named the executive director of a Tennessee nonprofit focusing on criminal justice reforms.
Kilpatrick, 53, will lead Taking Action for Good (TAG), a justice reform nonprofit based in Memphis, alongside its CEO Alice Marie Johnson, who started the nonprofit a few years ago.
In his new role, Kilpatrick will “educate the public about the importance of criminal justice reforms, tell the stories of those who have been failed by the system and work to bring deserving people home,” the nonprofit stated in a press release Monday.
Earlier this summer, the pair were photographed together at Johnson’s “Five Years Free” celebration in Los Angeles.
Johnson was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts related to a cocaine trafficking operation and sentenced to life in prison without parole. After she served two decades in prison, former President Donald Trump in 2018 commuted her sentence following lobbying by celebrity Kim Kardashian.
“I am thrilled to ‘tag’ Kwame in to our team,” Johnson stated in the release. “He and I have a shared experience of having been incarcerated, which makes us invaluable allies to the people who are still caught in the system because we understand what it will take to improve it. His commitment to faith and uplifting others makes him a perfect fit for TAG, and I look forward to working with him to continue to change the criminal justice system for the better, reunite more families, and keep our communities safe.”
According to TAG’s website, Johnson created the Taking Action for Good Foundation as “a movement with the belief that everyone has the ability to TAG and challenge others to do the same.”
Like Johnson, Kilpatrick’s sentence was commuted by Trump in January 2021. He served a quarter of his 28-year federal prison sentence for his role in a racketeering and bribery scheme that rocked Detroit City Hall.
After hearing his story, Johnson advocated for his release from prison. Through TAG, she advocates for clemency and pardons for deserving individuals and policy changes that focus on redemption and rehabilitation instead of punishment. Johnson states she has advocated for more than 100 clemency and pardon applicants and 46 individuals have received a second chance, including Kilpatrick.
Since his release, Kilpatrick launched Movemental Ministries, an online congregation where he serves as CEO. As an ordained minister, Kilpatrick says he has dedicated his life to spreading messages of hope and healing and to helping others reach their true potential.
“I will forever be grateful to Alice for helping me get my second chance, and I am looking forward to helping other deserving people get their own second chances in my new role with Taking Action for Good,” Kilpatrick stated in the release. “The seven years I spent in prison opened my eyes to the faults in our nation’s criminal justice system. It was during that time that I found my calling to serve God and help others find their own redemption. TAG does amazing work in this vein, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
But Kilpatrick still faces a mountain of debt. He owes millions to creditors, a figure that includes more than $854,000 in restitution to the city of Detroit as part of a separate text-message scandal that led to his resignation as mayor.
He hasn’t paid anything since February 2013, according to Wayne County Circuit Court records, despite selling copies of his memoir for $19.99 each.
srahal@detroitnews.com
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