"My name is Tameka Perez. I am the child of a prisoner. My parents married while my father was in prison. My father is an alcoholic and drug addict and has been in and out of prison my entire life. He is currently in prison today. I have watched my father get out of jail multiple times just to fail multiple times. I have watched my father live in drug filled halfway houses and be homeless. After 12 years in prison he got let out......... just like that., and had to try to survive. The programs for these people are garbage and many people end up back in prison. Especially since no one wants to hire felons. Its a terrible cycle. I have watched my father go through over and over again. On top of that children with a parent in prison have a 70% chance of ending up in jail themselves. Half the time these kids don't know any better. I didn't. As a kid I didn't have anything or anyone to talk to growing up. I was alone, I was made fun of, treated differently, and there was no support system I could turn to so I turned to the streets as a very young teen and was living on my own by 16. I got lucky and got away before it was too late." 

"This is actually the first time I have publicy spoken about my personal situation"

"That's ok." "You just inspired 100s of others to speak up and me to work harder"

J McClendon  11/27/2017