Rahim Buford was paroled in 2015 after being caged for 26 consecutive calendar years. A native of Nashville, Rahim has seen and felt how poverty negatively impacts people in the criminal legal system. Arrested at age 18, he spent 26 years of his life caged within seven different prisons across Tennessee. During that time, he completed course work for Lipscomp University, Ohio University, and Vanderbilit Divinty School. Rahim was a co-founder of Salt (Schools for Alternative Learning and Transformation), an inclusive undergraduate program that provides a safe learning space for non-tradtional students at Riverbend Prison. While incarcerated, he also self-published his own book, Save Your Own Life. Upon his release from prison, Rahim received a Presidential Scholarship to American Baptist College, and worked part time as an organizer for Children’s Defense Fund Nashville. In 2017, he founded Unheard Voices Outreach to empower formerly incarcerated persons to be leaders in reentry, community building, and to raise awareness about “felonism.” Rahim graduated from American Baptist College with a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership in 2019. He now manages the Nashville Community Bail Fund, where he has bailed out over 500 low-income Nashvillians since May 2018. Rahim continues to use his voice to advocate for decarceration and transformative justice.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/UnChained-Destiny
https://www.unheardvoicesoutreach.org/
https://nashvillebailfund.org/
Unheard Voices Outreach
Instagram - @unheardvoicesoutreach
Facebook - Unheard Voice Outreach
Twitter - @outreachvoices
Nashville Community Bail Fund
Instagram - @nashvillebailfund
Facebook - Nashville Community Bail Fund
Twitter - @nashbailfund
