On November 4th, after serving 31 years in prison and appearing before the parole board 4 times, our dear friend Salim Nafis Az-Zahid was granted parole. For the past three years, since we were freshmen, we have gotten to know Salim and worked towards his release and rehabilitation. Through numerous emails, phone calls, and an in-person visit to his facility, we have learned about the incredibly hardworking, brave, and intelligent individual that Salim is. A natural-born writer, leader, and student, Salim has taught us the importance of remaining humble and grateful, all while always being a loyal and compassionate friend.

In terms of housing, Salim has been fortunate enough to gain the support of the re-entry program at The Osborne Association, where he will begin his first steps as an informed, impassioned, working member of the community. He is also currently being provided housing in the Bronx through the program. However, we cannot underscore enough how incredibly difficult a process that reentry is, especially for someone who has been confined as long as Salim has. He is entering a world and a society that has changed tremendously since he left it over three decades ago, and while Salim is unwavering in his commitment to staying on the right path, the path itself will not be easy.

Salim’s 31-year-long journey of incarceration has seen him grow as a person, leader, and student. While in prison, he became an integral and positive light to his peers and to staff. He engaged in meaningful programs to better himself and overcome his addiction. He worked tirelessly on creating a program to help other prisoners recover from addiction called Second Step. This program builds on Alcoholics Anonymous founder William Griffith Wilson’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The first step is the admission of the addiction phase, but Salim’s program focuses on the second step: acknowledging that there are ways to regain power in the fight against substance abuse. Salim yearned to start this program because many other incarcerated individuals believe they do not have adequate access to resources to curb substance abuse. Salim has done all of the internal and external work to prove to himself and others that he is not his crime, and is deserving of a second chance.

All proceeds donated will go towards money for clothes, food, rent, the purchase of a computer, and general re-entry support. While it is in Salim’s hands to realize his dreams, every little bit helps as he embarks on this daunting, but hope-filled, journey. Salim is a humble, kind, and generous man, and we are confident that with this GoFundMe he will have the means to start his new life and bring beauty to this world.