Greg Mingo
Each year at Hudson Link’s annual Spring Benefit, we recognize two individuals for their dedication to education, reform, and service. The Brian S. Fischer Award, awarded each year to a previously incarcerated individual who is actively contributing to community growth and advancement toward reform, will go to Mr. Greg Mingo at our 2024 Spring Benefit on May 8th.
Following his release, Greg Mingo has demonstrated exceptional advancement in the areas of reform and rehabilitation. While co-founding the Clemency Collective, geared towards educating and improving the clemency process, he has also fulfilled the role of an ambassador for the Innocence Project and currently serves as a consultant for In Arm’s Reach, an organization dedicated to providing educational support to children whose parents are incarcerated. “My heart goes out to all who are left behind,” says Mingo. “That’s why I’m being a voice for the voiceless, to be the change I’d like to see across the nation.” Mingo has supported a variety of organizations since coming home, including The Second Look program at CUNY Law School, Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP), and Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison.
Mingo, on behalf of RAPP, advocating for #ParoleJustice in Albany.
Mingo, engaged in the construction of a home in support of our New Beginnings initiative.
Greg Mingo’s narrative is a long journey spanning four decades of imprisonment, all while maintaining his innocence. He firmly believed that his lifework inside the prison to assist others through counseling, aggression management, education, and law courses could have a ripple effect throughout the community. Mingo’s efforts throughout his prison sentence led in a major spike in support for his release, to the point where Change.org voted him as a top changemaker for 2021, and played a major role in the Governor’s office granting clemency to Mingo in 2021.
In January of last year, Greg received a proclamation from the New York State Senate in recognition of his efforts to enhance possibilities for individuals who have been unjustly imprisoned and others who need a fresh start. Greg is a proponent of social, racial, and criminal justice reform, and it is an honor is to award him with the 2024 Brian S. Fischer Award. Join us in honoring Greg by sponsoring or purchasing tickets to this year’s Spring Benefit, and stay tuned for the announcement of our second award recipient, who will be announced next.
Mingo receiving his Senate Proclamation for his work in building affordable housing for people after incarceration with Hudson Link, giving out free food at a farmstand with the Sing Sing Family Collective, and many more instances of impact in the community.
It is amazing to see the selfless work and dedication of formerly incarcerated individuals and how they can overcome all barriers and obstacles in order to return to society and make our communities and families both stronger and safer. Congratulations Mr. Mingo. Keep up the good work!