YSRP Celebrates John Pace and his Portrait at Eastern State Penitentiary

From right: Juwan Bennett, Eleanor Myers, John Pace, Joanna Visser Adjoian, Lauren Fine and Katie Barnett

On October 17, 2020, the YSRP team gathered at Eastern State Penitentiary to view a portrait of YSRP Reentry Coordinator and leader John Pace at a special Night Tour. The portrait, created by artist James “Yaya” Hough, was one in a series of ten, entitled Points of Connection, which sought to spark dialogue and humanize people living and working within systems of criminal justice in Philadelphia. John and Yaya both represent the strong leadership of former Juvenile Lifers working to transform the system of mass incarceration in Philadelphia and beyond. Yaya, himself a former Juvenile Lifer, was the first Artist-in-Residence at the Office of the Distric Attorney of Philadelphia. The portraits, on display at various public locations across the city, marked the end of Yaya’s year-long residency. Photographs courtesy of Johnny Myers, 2020.