Turning Pain Into Purpose: Aaron Hicks Brings Visionary Peer Support To Restorative Leadership

“You Don’t Think Of Leadership Coming From Prison”

Aaron meets weekly with a group of men that are currently or formerly incarcerated to lead them through honest conversations about what he calls “our hurts, habits, and hangups.” He knows that men need a safe and supportive outlet to deal with such issues in their lives because someone sought him out and made that kind of space for him when he came out of prison.

Aaron commits his time and heart to others that need to be shown the potential in the way they live. Only someone who has experienced all of the challenges of the broken criminal justice system and the racial disparities in our community can fully mentor others in the same situations. Even though he still faces multi-layered challenges, such as unjust lifetime GPS, housing limitations, and family trauma, Aaron still manages to be one the most positive presences in any room he enters.

It is Aaron’s goal to not only offer peer support to men in the community, but also to be a leader that advocates on behalf of those caught in the criminal justice system. He has developed mental and emotional wellness initiatives inside prisons, broken barriers by bringing lived experience to academia in partnership with the University of Wisconsin as a Community Advisor, and started violence prevention initiatives. Aaron is friends with judges, lectures in college classrooms, and advances systems change that values the worth of every individual. (EXPO) Ex-Incarcerated Persons Organizing recognized Aaron’s work and commitment to those impacted by incarceration. 

Nehemiah’s Reentry program has big plans for this year and Aaron is bringing his community support abilities to the table in an ever growing way. The Reentry team is looking to offer more support to the wrap-around services already offered. Through Nehemiah’s Reentry houses, Man-Up peer support group, and system change work in the legal system, Nehemiah has the leadership building capability of it’s staff like Aaron who are transforming our community for all. Please help us support Aaron and the Nehemiah criminal justice and reentry team so that they have the resources to walk alongside others and break the cycle of exploitation impacting Black and marginalized people in our community. 

This article was contributed by Eli Steenlage.