Dujuan “Zoe” Kennedy spends his days and nights mentoring young people in Detroit, particularly those most at risk of engaging in criminal behavior, gun violence and ultimately incarceration.

Kennedy, 41, understands the challenges more than most. He spent 14 years in prison for selling narcotics and manslaughter. While incarcerated, Kennedy linked with religious leaders, read and educated himself about the conditioning of criminals and worked to rehabilitate his life.

Three weeks after his release in 2019, he returned home and realized he had influence in his neighborhood. It became his life’s mission to help those he believed were on a criminal path. He volunteered with FORCE (Faithfully Organizing Resources for Community Empowerment) Detroit as a community organizer and has never looked back.