Marlon Peterson
Contributor
Marlon Peterson is the author of Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist’s Freedom Song, host of the DEcarcerated Podcast, and owner of his own social impact endeavor, The Precedential Group Social Enterprises and its nonprofit arm, Be Precedential, Inc. His TED talk, “Am I not human? A call for criminal justice reform”, has amassed over 1.2 million views. During his incarceration, Marlon co-created How Our Lives Link Altogether, H.O.L.L.A, a youth development organization that has provided programming, college trips, and mentorship for NYC public school students and justice-involved youth. As the associate director of a project of the Center for Court Innovation, Marlon created Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets, and served as a violence interrupter in his Crown Heights, Brooklyn neighborhood. Marlon also worked for the Fortune Society as the director of community relations and was the board chair of Families for Freedom. As a Soros Fellow, Senior Atlantic Fellow, and Aspen Civil Society Fellow, Marlon has used his activism and pen to advocate for safer communities, reduce the footprint of law enforcement, and to amplify the work of individuals and grassroots organizations across the globe. Marlon’s byline has appeared in USA Today, The Nation, Ebony, Essence, Gawker, The Marshall Project, The Root, and others.