About Talib
His Tragic Story:
Talib Williams was sentenced to 50 years in prison after shooting a man who had tried to take his life just months before. Talib’s motive was fear, not vengeance, but the circumstances in the case didn’t concern the American justice system. A jury was settled upon, after every black person had been excused, and those alleged peers decided that the skateboarding 17-year old with nothing but a petty tagging charge should spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Aftermath:
Since receiving a virtual death sentence, Talib has striven to rise above prison politics and better his life. He has authored three books while incarcerated, started a non-profit organization, became a respected Imam in the prison’s Muslim community, facilitating a healthy spiritual development for practitioners of his faith, and facilitated a toxic masculinity workshop for inmates, which was the subject of a CNN documentary on Soledad State Prison called: ‘The Feminist On Cellblock Y.’ Talib was offered an early parole hearing for good behavior in 2017 and is currently awaiting the decision.
What Happens When You Never Give Up:
Talib has committed, what he thought would be his entire life behind bars, to serving people and educating himself on important social issues. In his nearly two decades of incarceration, he has accomplished more than most people not burdened by the weight of the prison system, and continues to find new ways to give back.
Giving Back To The Community:
When Talib met his wife Tasha in 2017, the two joined forces to make one of Talib’s dreams a reality and Inner-City Inc. was created less than three years later. The nonprofit was named in reference to the development of America’s underserved and often neglected inner-cities in general, but more specifically, it refers to the investment and subsequent development of the people within these communities whose internal inner-city is, more often than not, more neglected and underserved than the cities they inhabit. Conversely, Inner-city inc. champions the belief that the strongest agents for this development are those in the communities themselves.
The Family Man:
Talib found Tasha when he was 15 years into his sentence, and with no freedom in sight. Within 24 hours, the pair fell in love, and within two days, they were engaged to be married. Talib & Tasha’s love is something palpable, and everyone in their presence agrees that these two are soulmates. Talib is in the process of adopting Tasha’s daughter, and they plan on having children when he gets out of prison.
Talib’s next parole hearing is in the spring of 2020.