MPR News and Sahan Journal present
North Star Journey Live & Sahan Community Live:
From inside, out: Rebuilding your life after incarceration
Thursday, April 24, 2025 – 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Saint Paul Neighborhood Network Studio
550 Vandalia Street, Suite 170
St. Paul, MN 55114
Thousands of Minnesotans have spent large chunks of their lives behind bars – away from their families and community. This distance can change a person physically, mentally and spiritually.
It also complicates the transition back to society. Upon reentry, people convicted of felonies must rebuild their lives and catch up on everything they missed, including changes to their neighborhoods, new social trends, and shifts in the job market.
What happens when they return? How do they find a new role in their homes and neighborhoods? Join us in April for a collaborative discussion, hosted by Sahan Journal and MPR News. We’ll talk about the biggest barriers for people who’ve formerly been incarcerated and hear from groups who help them make the transition after release.
The Hosts
Brandt Williams
Brandt Williams is a senior editor covering race, class and communities for MPR News.
For more than 30 years he has focused on covering city and county government, public safety, courts and racial disparities. He has produced investigative stories on gun violence in Minneapolis and its disparate impact on the city’s Black community and written and produced numerous stories on the historical and ongoing rift between members of the Black community and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Alberto Villafan
Alberto Villafan is the digital producer at Sahan Journal. He joined Sahan Journal in May 2024. Alberto graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and cultural studies and comparative literature. Previously, he worked as a producer for his university’s podcast, a fact checker for MinnPost and as a digital producer for ABC 6 News – KAAL in Rochester, Minn.
Panelists
