Founding Member profile

Rahsaan Thomas (“New York”) grew up in the notorious Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, where he faced gun violence, bullying, redlining, abusive policing policies, generational incarceration, and drug infestation. His choices in the face of such adversity landed him in prison with a 55 to life sentence. From a cell, he turned his life around and became a writer, curator, director, producer, social justice advocate, restorative justice circle keeper, youth counselor, and runner. He is most known as “New York” on the Pulitzer Prize finalist and Dupont Award-winning podcast Ear Hustle. The Sundance Institute and The Marshall Project awarded him a grant to direct and produce a short documentary film called Friendly Signs, which premiered at the San Francisco Documentary Film festivals. Rahsaan also produced, What These Walls Won’t Hold, directed by Adamu Chan, which won the San Francisco International Film Festival. W. Kamau featured Rahsaan in a United Shades of America episode—all while still in prison. Now on parole, he is the Executive Director of Empowerment Avenue, an organization that works to develop the careers of incarcerated writers, artists, journalists, and filmmakers as well as the co-founder of the inaugural San Quentin Film Festival.