A woman in a red T-shirt and blue jeans standing in front of a store entrance. She is smiling and holding a chain attached to the door. The store has signs and posters visible behind her, including some with animal prints and historical images.

A table with promotional materials including books and T-shirts set up at an event by StepUp Durham Impact, organized in a room with a banner that reads 'Work. Grow. Thrive.' and contact information.

The Story of April Barber

Recently, on the Black Light Mass Incarceration Show, Emancipate NC’s Cierra Cobb interviewed April Barber.

In 2022, April earned one of the first commutations from Governor Roy Cooper from the Juvenile Sentencing Review Board.

April went into prison pregnant at the age of 15, and she served for 31 and a half years. She shares her experiences being locked up, the shameful limits on menstruation products in prison, the dire need for better re-entry preparation and support, and her relationship with her son.

She is now working as a healthcare aid and she is a powerful advocate for people left behind in prison.

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Fenced In: Fighting For Freedom Advocacy is built on lived experience and is passionate about second chances.