Making Kids Win Helps Prevent Gun Violence and Incarceration

Steve Adubato goes on-location to the New Jersey Reentry Conference at Saint Peter’s University to speak with Michael K. Williams, Actor and Founder, Making Kids Win and Dominic Dupont, Program Director, Making Kids Win. Williams talks about his acting career, struggle with addiction, and commitment to charitable efforts. Dupont shares his personal story of conviction as a teen and turning his life around.

6/27/19 #2232

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

"Hi, I'm Steve Adubato. We're in Jersey City at Saint Peter's University, interviewing some fascinating people at a very important conference. It is the Annual Reentry Conference. It's The Road... it's actually called The Road to Salvation: From Addiction to Employment. We've interviewed the first lady, the lieutenant governor, former Governor McGreevey, who heads up the Reentry Corporation. Two gentlemen you're about to see on camera, a big part of this event. First I want to introduce, to my far right, Michael K. Williams. He's an actor. The Wire. One of my favorites, Boardwalk Empire. We'll be talking about his other work. And also your nephew, Dominic Dupont, Program Director at Making Kids Win. Which is? Our not-for-profit. So Making Kids Win is an organization that Michael started, and I had the honor to partner and work with him, for the sole purpose of making sure that we work with young people who have had criminal justice involvement, and give them a space to channel their trauma through our programs. And the idea, the concept, the core concept of our organization is that we would find effective ways to make sure that young people have ways and people to connect with, to provide programs to. Our belief, solely, is that good programming is good security for the community and for those... for that individual specifically. Michael, let me ask you this. You're an active participant in this conference because? Well, mainly because of my past with addiction. You know. That is how Governor McGreevey and I... we met at a... it was a local treatment center in... right here in Newark. We had met... Why were you...? Okay. You met Governor McGreevey while you were in...? I was... ...treatment? No. While I was staying in Newark, there was a point in my life where, you know, Newark, the streets of Newark took care of me. You know. How so? Were you doing The Wire? Yeah, this was during The Wire. And I was struggling within my addiction, and I was... while I was working, and I needed a safe keeping to say the least, and I found that... I found that refuge on the streets of Newark, with a family right there on Isabella Avenue. You know. South Orange and 18th. We're talking smack dab... In the South Ward of Newark? Yeah. I never felt safer. And it was during that time... these five years of... four or five years, I stayed in Newark, right there in the streets while I was filming..."