The Power of Transformation "Feat Antonio Fernandez‪"‬ Voices With-Out Boundaries

Antonio Fernandez was the Leader of the New York chapter of

the Latin Kings. He has worked directly with street organization members in

Washington, DC, Newark, New York City, Spain, and Ecuador to redirect their

energies toward community building. Antonio uses his life story as both a

cautionary tale and a message about self-transformation.

Currently, Mr. Fernandez has partnered with Clinton Lacey and Washington

D.C.’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation on a brand-new initiative called

Credible Messengers. Tone’s organization currently focuses on serving the

youth charged as adults in DC’s juvenile detention center. Where he and his

team of formally incarcerated mentors work inside the institution 20 hours a

day, 7 days a week, with the goal of helping these young people to “Grow Up,

and Grow Out” of the mentality and conditions in which they find

themselves.

Tone has provided a plethora of workshops and trainings to government

organizations, justice departments, probation departments, schools, and

communities so that they can better work with and serve young

people. Antonio hopes this organization will lead young people towards

finding new paths toward social and personal growth and change.

In Grow Up Grow Out, we are Credible Messengers that will lead by example

in proving to our groups that an honest living is possible after all the time we

spent incarcerated, and now we are fighting hard to save our communities.