Every year, nearly 2,000 babies are born in prison. In 1995, Byron Brooks was in that statistic, but being raised by his great grandparents granted him hope that he wouldn’t live out his life defined by a number.
Upon graduating from Cody APL High School in 2013, he enrolled in Henry Ford College two years later – a part of the 56% of first-generation college students in the country. Brooks’ mother had since been released from prison, and he’d been living with her since high school; but when he enrolled in college, she said it wasn’t for him.
“She gave me an ultimatum of either dropping out of school, or working at a factory,” Brooks said. “I choose school, so she kicked me out of her house.” Brooks was homeless for two years. Still, he refused to let his circumstances define him — as he remained on the dean’s list and graduated with honors. Now 25, Brooks is a senior at Ferris State University and a community activist not only in Detroit, but around the country. And his community service has caught the attention of the soon-to-be presidential administration of Joseph Biden. Two weeks ago, Brooks received a phone call from the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee asking him to lead a national service initiative, the national Day of Service, honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Throughout his educational journey, Brooks accepted the Engelhardt Social Justice Fellowship, sponsored by the University of Michigan, which was his launching pad to start his nonprofit organization, “From the Hood For the Hood.” Brooks’ nonprofit is dedicated to the development of young people in the community and being a catalyst for social justice while also combating homelessness.