Former Bad Boy artist and Harlem World representative, Loon (who is now known as Amir Junaid Muhadith), has joined the REFORM Alliance.
Muhadith will serve as the inaugural Fellow for the REFORM Alliance's new Fellowship Program. This program was established to provide "practical and transferable job skills" to former inmates who are interested in pursuing careers in advocacy. For Muhadith, he's looking to work in criminal justice reform so that he can restructure America's parole and probation system. Through this fellowship, he will work closely with REFORM executives on the Advocacy and Communications team to get interactive training in policy creation, policy writing, coalition-building, research, digital organizing, and other skills.
Muhadith's involvement with the program comes close to three months after he was released from federal prison. His release was due in part to REFORM Alliance Chief Advocacy Officer Jessica Jackson advocating for him through the federal First Step Act following the COVID-19 outbreak in the prison system.
"I can personally relate to the stress of navigating life on supervision with the risk of reincarceration, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my experience to help REFORM and collaborate on ways to make a lasting impact on the system," Muhadith said. "It’s imperative that we provide people on probation with the support, training, and counseling to truly succeed rather than resort to punitive punishment."
As part of the Fellowship program, Muhadith will have access to the REFORM training library which is home to over 9,000 courses covering topics related to business, creative pro, and technology. But, this doesn't compare to the experience and knowledge he's gained from his time in the prison system.
"Amir’s firsthand perspective and strategic thinking will be invaluable to helping us improve an ineffective and destructive supervision system," Jackson explained. "In the short amount of time he’s been released, Amir has already impressed us with his ideas and commitment to creating positive change."
Under Loon, Muhadith helped create massive records like "I Need A Girl (Part One)," "I Need A Girl (Part Two)," and "Down For Me." He also collaborated with Diddy, Usher, Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell, Missy Elliott, Kelis, and more before serving nine years in prison for drug trafficking charges.
Starting in 2021, fellowship candidates will be able to apply for entry into the program via REFORM’s website.
