From Crime to the Classroom: How Education Changes Lives

Omari Amili is a member of the 2019-2021 Washington Humanities Speakers Bureau.

According to statistics, Omari Amili’s story should have turned out much differently. His parents suffered from addiction which led to him growing up in poverty and struggling in school. Eventually, he ended up serving prison time—which was no surprise considering the combination of life factors that would suggest a lifetime of struggles with the criminal justice system.

Though Amili was a product of what’s often referred to as the “school-to-prison pipeline,” it was ultimately education that changed Amili’s life.