Despite growing up in a world that told him to conform to the emotionless, violent behavior and gray, blue and black clothing of traditional masculinity, Richie Reseda’s vibrant style and powerfully gentle spirit could not be crushed. The odds embedded in systemic racism were stacked against him from early childhood, as he noticed people fearful of him at 10 years old and was arrested for simply being late to class in grade school. Swimming against the tide of white supremacy ultimately led Richie to an arrest for robbing a pharmacy, a crime normally treated to a sentence of 2-6 years, which for him shockingly became an initial 150 years to life. But between the fervent support of the BLM organizing community and Richie’s unwavering faith in his authentic self, 7 harrowing years in the belly of misogynistic prison culture turned into a moment of vulnerable leadership and heroism. From prison, Richie launched Success Stories, an organization which provides “an alternative to prisons that builds safer communities by delivering feminist programming to people who have caused harm,” where he teaches toxic masculinity workshops to incarcerated young men. This vocation reduced Richie’s own prison sentence by introducing a bill that became Proposition 57, which allows inmates to earn time off of their sentence by going to rehabilitative programs like Success Stories. Today Richie is a prison abolitionist and feminist who visits prisons to speak about the psychological prison of patriarchy while wearing shades of pink and his favorite Hello Kitty shirts, courageously showing the world what real freedom is. If you agree that facades separate us and being radically honest brings us together, please take a moment to subscribe to our podcast and share this episode with any friends or family who could benefit from understanding that they are enough as they are. New Episodes drop Thursdays!