MORE THAN MY WORST: THE ALEXIS POLITE STORY

Most times you hear a story about second chances, then tune it out once it's told. Don't with this one, because Alexis Polite earned this opportunity. Again, as a convicted felon, the work to be seen is impossible, but not today.

To begin, Alexis has a 205-year sentence for robbery and abduction. When I heard his story, I shook my head and sauntered off. I saw the men who robbed, and they were always shady, and that made me keep my distance. Now, in most cases, the border to cross into my world was closed...Then I watched Alexis cross over.

Most men in Nottoway Correction Center focused on playing basketball and pumping iron. Not Alexis, he was signing up for programs, and eventually sitting in a six-hour training program for Peer Mentoring. That was when I looked at him differently; it's not what you say, it's what you do. And what that consisted of was a man wanting to show who he was.

The first time I saw this was when he was being called by the administration to speak with an intake (someone who had just entered prison). Sadly, one of them lost their mother, and out of all the people on this facility, they plucked Alexis out of the masses and had him speak with the young man in mourning. This came from how Alexis was showing those in an administration capacity his value--and from there, he took off.

As of late, Alexis was facilitating two therapeutic programs in Nottoway, while attending college and continuing his commitment to his faith as a Muslim. This was when I wanted to learn more about him, and that's when he opened up about his life.

He had a codefendant named Zenus Barnes, who was pardoned in 2022. This broke his heart, because he was on a pathway to redemption and to see his codefendant getting free, he wanted the same. Now, instead of quitting on all that he's been doing for himself, he pushed harder. So hard that I decided to help.

Most of the men in the penitentiary didn't care about becoming more than their worst. They're usually in the day room playing cards, complaining about their crimes, and getting high on whatever drug is readily available. Alexis was different, and I finally saw it one day.

I'm teaching Managing My Life, and he decided to sit in one of my classes as a show of support. He had some great points that added to the students' mental development. After class, we sat down and he began pulling out all his accomplishments:

Change Agent Training

Certificate for Breaking Barriers, Thinking For A Change, and Productive Citizen

Anger Management Program

Substance Abuse 1 & 2

Matrix Model IOP

Revitalization Training

PREP (Peer Mentor Reentry)

Resources For Successful Living

That's only a few of them, and for someone who spent 30-plus years in prison, he hadn't sat idle. I can attest to that, because I'm a late bloomer with only a handful of programs under my belt. This was why I latched on to him.

Alexis and I have a monthly Peer Mentor meeting with our supervisor, and what he presented were seminars he created for the men. He wanted to get the men ready for successful reentry into society--and he wanted to keep them engaged by introducing a Peer Mentor Tournament, where he would spend his own money and resources to award the winners. I chuckled at that notion, but then I wanted more from him.

You see, we (the incarcerated) gotta show our thoughts, because what you're thinking is what you're living. One day, while in the midst of evening recreation, I asked a question: "What makes you ready for a second chance?" Alexis looked at me through his glasses, smiled and replied, "The work in my life has afforded me a chance to be seen in a new light, the kind that others see is my authentic self. Due to that, they're the ones who speak up for my freedom. My actions afforded me my opportunity to get free, because they know when I get out, I'll spend my days in service to others."

What you're thinking is what you're living. This adage has helped Alexis become more than his worst. Thirty years of mass incarceration, and still striving for more out of life. This didn't occur for most, not when they're quitting on their lives because parole wasn't possible in their eyes. That's why Alexis was different: he wanted his actions to always lead towards his path of redemption.

Thirty years of mass incarceration have destroyed many, but then you discovered that one in one million. Alexis sat with his Muslim community, conversing with them about Islam while the day room was in full swing. He closed out the noise and read from the Qur'an, proud.

The walk of a man was shaped by his footsteps. They led you in two directions: somewhere great, or somewhere depressing. Alexis chose to be great with his walk, and as you're watching his walk, his impact could be seen; a building lieutenant called for him to facilitate his programs in the day room of the Intake Units. He's standing amongst the broken, sharing his stories to assist in making them whole again. A power that came with time spent on becoming more than his worst.

Alexis Polite is different, and due to that, he'll be seen out in society working on helping others become more than their worst. Like the old adage says, "See my mind, not my crime." Again, what he's done while the door was closed is now being seen by all. Once you see it, you'll be changed as well.