SBS 525 Seminar: Jamila T. Davis and Angelo Pinto, Until Freedom: “Be the Change You Want to See: How to Change Your Community Through Your Work”

Dr. Jamila T. Davis is an author, educator, community activist and entrepreneur. From a self-made, multi-millionaire at age 25, her life took a tragic twist. In 2008, she was sentenced to 12 1/2 years for bank fraud. From behind bars, Davis embarked on an intense journey of inner healing and restoration. Documenting her findings, she developed a self-help curriculum designed to empower incarcerated women to heal, recognize their potential and recapture their dreams. While incarcerated Davis also received numerous college degrees. Most recently, she gained her Doctor of Philosophy degree from Newburgh Seminary, researching life coaching as a tool to dethrone the trauma-to-prison pipeline. In June 2017, Dr. Jamila T. Davis completed her prison sentence and hit the ground running! Davis now leads as the founder of the VIP Online Academy, where she has helped thousands of students to receive trade and entrepreneurial skills to prepare them for the workforce.

Angelo Pinto is a notable freedom fighter, civil rights attorney, and policy strategist. Most recently he has co-founded Until Freedom, an intersectional social justice organization that was pivotal in the fight for Justice for Breonna Taylor and who were on the ground in Minneapolis during the George Floyd uprisings. Pinto also co-founded Justice League NYC: a task force of the Gathering for Justice – an organization started by global activist entertainer Harry Belafonte. Justice League led mass demonstrations during the Eric Garner uprisings. In addition, Pinto has been at the forefront of leading key criminal reform initiatives, lending his expertise to procuring the freedom of rapper Meek Mill, elevating the profile of the NYPD 12, as well as creating the legislative campaign to Raise the Age of criminal responsibility in New York States which ended the housing of youth in adult jails and prisons.