How about a round of applause for Jerry Blassingame , Executive Director of the #Soteria Community Development Corporation in Greenville, #SouthCarolina ? He’s also one of the first #HealthyCommunities Fellows with The Aspen Institute , in partnership with the #AetnaFoundation . I’ve had the pleasure of working with him over the past few months as he produced an OpEd column about the “life sentence” imposed on people who return to their communities after serving a prison term. After serving a three and a half year sentence himself, Blassingame has spent the past 20 years providing more than 5,000 men and women with the resources and support to successfully return to their communities. And he knows that words and labels matter. They are NOT “ex-felons” or “former inmates” - they are your neighbors and fellow citizens. That’s why I’m so pleased to have helped Jerry get his OpEd published on The Root online news website today. Take a look at his powerful commentary here: https://lnkd.in/dWbmVYm Aetna, a CVS Health Company #prisonreform #rehabilitation #communitydevelopment #languagematters …see more