Lucinda Cross, founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Activate Your Life, is making significant strides in ensuring that formerly incarcerated individuals understand and exercise their voting rights.
Since establishing her nonprofit in 2015, Cross has focused on assisting formerly incarcerated women and youth aged 18 to 24 in reintegrating into society.
A key aspect of her work is educating these individuals about their legal right to vote, a right often misunderstood or assumed to be lost due to past convictions.
Cross observed a common misconception among formerly incarcerated individuals, who frequently believed they were permanently disenfranchised due to their criminal records.
“I was constantly hearing, ‘I can’t vote, I’m not allowed to vote, or I have a felony,’” Cross explained in an interview with Black Enterprise.
This misconception motivated her to launch an initiative to clarify the voting rights of this demographic.
According to Cross, more than 600,000 people are released from prison annually in the United States, many of whom retain their voting rights or can have them restored. She highlights that in some jurisdictions, such as Washington, D.C., Maine, and Vermont, individuals never lose their right to vote, regardless of criminal conviction.
However, in states like Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky, the restoration of voting rights is more restrictive, creating a complex legal landscape that Cross seeks to navigate for those affected.
For Cross, this mission is deeply personal. At the age of 19, she was sentenced to 3.5 years in federal prison.
Upon her release, she faced significant challenges, including a mandate to secure employment within 30 days or risk returning to prison.
The limited opportunities available to her—ranging from fast food work to cosmetology and horticulture classes—highlighted the broader systemic issues faced by formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly women who face societal stigma and barriers to reentry.
Cross’s experiences fueled her commitment to providing comprehensive support through Activate Your Life.
The nonprofit offers life skills training, public speaking workshops, and programs focused on personal branding, aiming to empower participants to reenter the workforce and society with confidence. Her organization has assisted over 20,000 women and youth, providing a pathway to stability and self-sufficiency.
On October 11, 2024, Cross plans to host a significant voting rally in Queens, New York, coinciding with the anniversary of her arrest in 1996.
The event aims to register formerly incarcerated individuals to vote, educate them about their rights, and advocate for restorative justice.
“The goal is to get individuals to register to vote, understand their rights as citizens, and push for restorative justice,” Cross said.
In addition to her work with Activate Your Life, Cross has expanded her advocacy efforts into broader restorative justice initiatives, focusing on restoring voting rights for individuals with felony convictions.
Her journey from a telemarketing job post-incarceration to leading a successful nonprofit demonstrates the potential for positive change and the importance of second chances in the legal and social systems.
Lucinda Cross’s dedication to this cause highlights the critical need for legal education and advocacy in supporting the rights and reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals.
Through her efforts, she continues to challenge and change the narrative surrounding reentry, demonstrating that life after prison can be both fulfilling and impactful.
