MEET OUR Founder and Executive Director
Chazidy Bowman
Chazidy Bowman is the Founder and Executive Director of Opportunities People's Justice Leaders. An organization geared toward assuring those incarcerated. Receive fair humane treatment and that their civil rights are not violated. They offer families resources to aid them in their advocacy efforts for their loved ones during their incarceration.
The organization was established in March of 2020 through the global pandemic. Where they received a lot of credibility and notoriety. For aggressive campaigns toward Covid-19, lack of healthcare, and the abuse of those in American prisons.
Chazidy is a member of the 2021 Just Leadership USA Cohort and JLUSA advisory Committee. She also holds the title of Prison Committee Chairman for the Cincinnati NAACP chapter. She serves on the Hamilton County Public Defender Advisory Committee. Steering Committee member for Community for Sheriff Accountability. She also a member of the 2022 Women Transcending Collective Leadership Institute. She has also been newly elected as the Hamilton County Democratic Party Executive Committee member. She serves on the Smart Justice Advisory Board with ACLU of Ohio. She is the proud recipient of the 2020 recipient of the “Faith Leader of The Year” award from Faith and Public life. Her biggest organizational accomplishment in 2022 was winning as successful campaign. To have body cameras place on all correctional officers in Ohio’s Prisons.
She is the proud wife of Rufus Bowman who was previously incarcerated. As well as the mother of 4 beautiful children. Through her incarceration experience. Chazidy and Rufus have collaborated and created two peer led programs for men and women incarcerated and previously incarcerated. Our Men’s program is called Stay Focused Movement. Our women's program is Titled P.O.W Protect Our Women. They are 12 month mentorship programs. To help those incarcerated and returning home to stay focused on their goals to be successful.
MEET OUR CO-FOUNDER
Rufus Bowman
Rufus Bowman is a husband and Father of Four. Rufus Bowman is a Proud graduate from ABS course for a business administration that he was able to complete during his time while he was incarcerated. Rufus is a survivor from 10 years of incarceration, during his time he has co-founded Opportunities Peoples Justice Leaders (OPJL) as well as developed two successful program called Stay Focus Movement for Men and Protect Our Women (P.O.W) for Women. These programs are gear towards healing and restoration of those formerly incarcerated.
Since been incarcerated, Rufus has along with OPJL partnered with Cincinnati University School of Medicine and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital in a collaboration on our research project about Post-Incarceration Syndrome (PICS). Through this groundbreaking research our goal is to have PICS deemed as its own disorder disassociated from PTSD.
Rufus Bowman was a part of the charge which led OPJLs money-middle win for Body Camera's inside of Ohio's Prisons. He has an agent for change and has collaborated on the right project with ACLU of Ohio as well as spoke a case question university about mass incarceration and conditions of Prisons during Covid-19. Rufus plans to continue his quest towards being vigilant and breaking all barriers that prisons and it is trauma causes to our people and society.
