Connect with us
X
Categories:

General

Priscilla Chan to turn inmates/prisoners to coders

Published

on

Share this post:

Priscilla Chan wants to turn inmates into coders. The founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and wife of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes it’s not only possible, but that tech companies would be willing to hire felons.

Chan took “CBS This Morning” co-host Norah O’Donnell inside a prison in McLoud, Oklahoma – a state that’s been called the prison capital of the world because of its incarceration rates – where she is helping create opportunities for female inmates with an innovative computer-coding program.

“I was just talking to a woman in the classroom and she’s been incarcerated for 17 years and she is ready to return to her community and wants to contribute. And she knows that the industry and the world has moved forward. And we need to be giving people who are incarcerated the cutting-edge skills,’ Chan said.

Chan is helping to bring those cutting-edge skills to 18 women at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, the largest female prison in Oklahoma with over 1,200 inmates – 85 percent of whom are mothers. Through the Last Mile Program, women will learn computer coding languages like HTML and JavaScript – without internet access.

“It’s phenomenal what they’re able to achieve … But I think it just speaks to how dedicated they are to actually learning the skills,” Chan said.

She believes tech companies will be open to hiring felons who are motivated and have the right skills. Chan realized technology could help unlock opportunities for others when she and her husband visited The Last Mile’s coding program at San Quentin prison in 2015.

“Seventy percent of individuals who are incarcerated will come back. But if you give vocational training, it goes down to 30 percent … in the Last Mile program, it is zero percent,” Chan said.

Inside the Oklahoma prison, we met Toc’quianna Culver, who dropped out of school at age 13, had her first child at 15 and was in prison by the age of 34. In the 12 years she has spent behind bars, she’s gotten her GED and is now a college senior majoring in business. She said she holds a 3.9 GPA and is about two-and-a-half years from freedom. Culver is determined to not make the same mistake that got her put in prison.

“Literally, wrong place, wrong time, wrong people. I was separated from my husband, was going through some things, and I got involved with another guy that was not the right type of guy … drugs, drinking, and I was at a place where I shouldn’t have been with him, and someone ended up dying. And thank God, it wasn’t by my hands, but I was still there,” said Culver, who was convicted of second degree murder. “I want people to know that it’s time to stop defining each individual with the mistakes that they make … Because if you are taught better, you do better and a mistake does not make you a monster. We are worth redemption. And, we can be redeemed. We can redeem ourselves.”

If Culver graduates, she will join the nearly 500 inmates across four states who have completed the yearlong course to become software engineers.

“There are so many jobs that need to be filled today and so I think there’s an incredible appetite for people with the right training to do the right job … One in two individuals have a family member or someone in their lives that is involved in our prison system,” Chan said.

To those who argue that someone who has been convicted of second-degree murder doesn’t deserve a second chance, Chan would say, “I think we have to be aware that all those women in the classroom and everyone who leaves prison has served their time.”

“Each one of those women is a mother, is a family member and, as Bryan Stevenson says, more than the worst thing that they’ve ever done.”


Get More Stories Like This On: Facebook: @AllNaijaEntertainment, Twitter: @AllNaijaEntertainment
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Chief Oyerigha Echo Toikumoh - The Earlier The Better
Music1 month ago

[Music] Chief Oyerigha Echo Toikumoh – The Earlier The Better

Enzo Maresca and Mikel Arteta stated they will not take Pep Guardiola's place at Manchester City
Sports1 month ago

Enzo Maresca and Mikel Arteta stated they will not take Pep Guardiola’s place at Manchester City

Alan Shearer reckons Liverpool star is ‘not going to get better’
Sports1 month ago

Alan Shearer reckons Liverpool star is ‘not going to get better’

NECO examiners threaten nationwide protest over unpaid entitlements
News1 month ago

NECO examiners threaten nationwide protest over unpaid entitlements

Jonathan congratulates Trump on historic election win
News1 month ago

Jonathan congratulates Trump on historic election win

Peter Obi can become president in 2027 — Yunusa Tanko
News1 month ago

Peter Obi can become president in 2027 — Yunusa Tanko

Dua Lipa forced to cancel show after ‘unforeseen safety issues’
Entertainment1 month ago

Dua Lipa forced to cancel show after ‘unforeseen safety issues’

Uzoamaka Onuoha wins Best Female Performance in a feature at AFRIFF 2024
Entertainment1 month ago

Uzoamaka Onuoha wins Best Female Performance in a feature at AFRIFF 2024

'Phoenix Fury' bags Best Film award at the 13th edition of AFRIFF
Entertainment1 month ago

‘Phoenix Fury’ bags Best Film award at the 13th edition of AFRIFF

Vivo begins teasing new Dimensity 9400 flagships internationally
Technology1 month ago

Vivo begins teasing new Dimensity 9400 flagships internationally

Google Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro may trade performance gains for longer battery life
Technology1 month ago

Google Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro may trade performance gains for longer battery life

Manchester United players warned ‘only one is safe’ under Ruben Amorim
Sports1 month ago

Manchester United players warned ‘only one is safe’ under Ruben Amorim

Austin DeAnda given impromptu makeover after he is forced to have haircut in the middle of fight
Sports1 month ago

Austin DeAnda given impromptu makeover after he is forced to have haircut in the middle of fight

IG orders punishment for errant cops
News1 month ago

IG orders punishment for errant cops

Be ready to recover stolen mandate — Ighodalo tells PDP
News1 month ago

Be ready to recover stolen mandate — Ighodalo tells PDP

No part of Ogun will be ceded under my watch — Dapo Abiodun
News1 month ago

No part of Ogun will be ceded under my watch — Dapo Abiodun

Ruger calls out auto tune and hype culture in music
Entertainment1 month ago

Ruger calls out auto tune and hype culture in music

I hate to play same role repeatedly — Actress Bimbo Akintola
Entertainment1 month ago

I hate to play same role repeatedly — Actress Bimbo Akintola

Fans split on Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy's Grammy nominations.
Entertainment1 month ago

Fans split on Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy’s Grammy nominations

Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim: Leaker reveals launch details for Samsung's rival iPhone 17 Air
Technology1 month ago

Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim: Leaker reveals launch details for Samsung’s rival iPhone 17 Air

Realme names first smartphone to get Android 15 beta worldwide
Technology1 month ago

Realme names first smartphone to get Android 15 beta worldwide

England interim manager tipped for surprise Premier League job
Sports1 month ago

England interim manager tipped for surprise Premier League job

Hakim Ziyech mocks Israeli supporters attacked in Amsterdam
Sports1 month ago

Hakim Ziyech mocks Israeli supporters attacked in Amsterdam

Court jails seven for internet fraud in Kaduna
News1 month ago

Court jails seven for internet fraud in Kaduna

Edo APC criticizes Obaseki’s last-minute appointments
News1 month ago

Edo APC criticizes Obaseki’s last-minute appointments

Edo PDP announces caretaker committee
News1 month ago

Edo PDP announces caretaker committee

Tems makes history after securing 3 nominations for the 67th Grammys
Entertainment1 month ago

Tems makes history after securing 3 nominations for the 67th Grammys

Beyoncé surpasses Jay-Z to become the most nominated artist in Grammy history
Entertainment1 month ago

Beyoncé surpasses Jay-Z to become the most nominated artist in Grammy history

Davido, Wizkid, Tems, Asake make 2025 Grammy nominations
Entertainment1 month ago

Davido, Wizkid, Tems, Asake make 2025 Grammy nominations

Davido, Wizkid, Tems, Asake make 2025 Grammy nominations
Entertainment1 month ago

2025 GRAMMY: Academy unveils category changes ahead of nomination event

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Final Episode 13)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 12)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 11)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 10)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 09)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 08)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 07)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 06)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 05)

The Pastor Daughter Story by Miriam Edem _ ANE Story
ANE Stories1 month ago

[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 04)

ANE Billboard Hots



Join "ANE sabi" clique

Don't miss a thing, get ogbonge ANE latest updates to fuel your conversation daily.