Reginald A. Slade graduated from Springfield College with a degree in Human Services. He has worked for the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) system in New Haven, Connecticut as a Drop-Out Prevention Specialist for more than 20 years and currently serves as the Youth Coordinator for the NHPS. In this capacity, Mr. Slade has witnessed the effect of the harsh drug policies and sentencing of President Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs campaign. Launched in 1971, the War on Drugs wreaked havoc on the African American community with, as one writer notes, “traumatizing sentences that snatched parents from children and loved ones, destabilizing families and communities.". The 50-year War on Drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans. Consequently, many of the black youth Mr. Slade services have family members and friends who were or are incarcerated and these youth often accept incarceration as a way of life.
