Yesterday, we lost a true giant for criminal justice reform. My dear friend, Kathy Boudin, passed away at the age of 77. Kathy will be remembered by me and many, for her tremendous ability to create community and to champion restorative justice, accountability and healing.

What I will cherish always about Kathy was our many evening walks in the prison yard where she helped me grapple with the pain of incarceration in a way that both empowered and buoyed my soul. She encouraged me to continue on during some of the darkest days I've endured.

Kathy taught me how to gracefully contend with the nuanced issues of harm and guilt and shared just why there should be and is a tremendous responsibility for those of us who have caused harm, to find purpose and give back to our community. Her voice was one measured with both the weight of what brought her to prison and her mission to bring support to incarcerated mothers and women stripped of their humanity.

While incarcerated Kathy was integral in creating the ACE program to educate and save lives in prison during the AIDS epidemic. She also worked to create a program for women to both take accountability for their crimes and to heal as survivors of harm themselves. She mentored hundreds of mothers who struggled to find ways to stay connected to their children while incarcerated. Kathy went on to co-found the Center for Justice and was one of the founding members of RAPP.