Your past should never limit your future.  There is often a negative stereotype that surrounds the label of “formerly incarcerated”.  We’re looking to counter this way of thinking in every way possible.

​

Terri Minor Spencer coined the phrase, “Colorful Backgrounds,” to redefine what it means to be an individual who has been formerly incarcerated. It allows acknowledgment of the fact that everyone has a story, and at times, these stories, experiences, struggles, failures, and triumphs can at times create the most impactful legacies.

 

Colorful Background EXPO is a program chartered by West End P.O.W.E.R. and  Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (P.I.I.N) to train formerly incarcerated people to organize for change in the criminal justice system and build their employment prospects.