Kwame Kilpatrick Named Executive Director of Non-profit

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is stepping back into the world of government and politics for the first time since his release in 2021. Announced on Monday the 13th, Kilpatrick will soon be taking on the role of Executive Director of the non-profit organization TAG (Taking Action for Good). TAG is a non-profit with the sole goal of progressing justice reform in America. A cause that is dear to both Kilpatrick and its founder Alice Marie Johnson.

“I am thrilled to ‘tag’ Kwame into our team.” She said in the statement about Kilpatrick’s appointment, “He and I have a shared experience of having been incarcerated, which makes us invaluable allies to the people who are still caught in the system because we understand what it will take to improve it. His commitment to faith and uplifting others makes him a perfect fit for TAG, and I look forward to working with him to continue to change the criminal justice system for the better, reunite more families, and keep our communities safe.”

Johnson, like Kilpatrick, is a victim of harsh sentencing. She was sentenced to life in prison without possibility for parole back in 1996 for non-violent drug-related crimes. It wasn’t until 2018 that Johnson’s sentence was commuted by then-president Donald Trump. Two years later she would start her non-profit TAG to help people like her and fight to fix the justice system. In fact, one of the first people she publicly advocated for release was Kilpatrick in 2020. Now her good deed is paying her back in the form of an enthusiastic new Executive Director ready to tackle the challenge of America’s courts.

“I will forever be grateful to Alice for helping me get my second chance, and I am looking forward to helping other deserving people get their own second chances in my new role with Taking Action for Good,” Kilpatrick mentioned post-announcement. “The seven years I spent in prison opened my eyes to the faults in our nation’s criminal justice system. It was during that time that I found my calling to serve God and help others find their own redemption. TAG does amazing work in this vein, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”

Kilpatrick still plans to pastor his online church Movemental Ministries while taking on this new full-time position. For him, his new seat at TAG is the perfect way to transition back into a life of government and service to his community. And while the former mayor has his fair share of doubters and skeptics, it seems at the moment that Kilpatrick is on the right path to making a change for good.