A Personal Journey for Lindsey Stennis

by Leo Adam Biga

Lindsey Stennis is an entrepreneur with a master’s in social work and a law degree from St. Louis University.

Upon graduating Creighton University in 2012, Lindsey Stennis did what many young Omaha professionals do: she left for greener pastures. The trend’s especially true of Black millennials escaping the city’s glass ceilings and segregated spaces. But after earning a master’s in social work and a law degree at St. Louis University, then embarking on a legal career in the South, she found reason to return. Now she’s realizing a social entrepreneurial dream that brings full circle a life-changing event in her past.

Stennis was a freshman at Creighton when her mother, former attorney LaVon Stennis-Williams, began serving a federal sentence for mail and wire fraud. The experience shook the teenager.

“It was very tough,” said Stennis, who refused to be a statistic by failing, which is precisely what she felt many expected her to do. “It’s a very sensitive thing to have a parent incarcerated. When you’re a Black student trying to make something of yourself there’s already this implication out there that Black people are criminal in nature, and you just don’t want to be another Black student that has a parent in prison.”

After serving 30 months, the last six in a halfway house, Stennis-Williams devoted herself to reentry work through the ReConnect Success nonprofit she founded. Her work with it continues today. ReConnect provides a way back to society for individuals released from prison as well as support to impacted families. Now, the daughter's formed her own nonprofit, WE Inspire Scholarship Foundation, with a mission of supporting students who have loved ones embroiled in the criminal justice system. Eligible recipients must be admitted to or enrolled in a college or university in the U.S.and have been impacted by the incarceration of a parent or primary caregiver.

LaVon Stennis-Williams is founder of ReConnect, Inc. which provides a way back to society for individuals released from prison as well as support to impacted families.

“There are people everywhere who have the same story,” Stennis said.

Last summer she awarded her foundation’s inaugural two scholarships, in the amount of $1,500 each, to a pair of sisters: Jasmine Bitanga is working on her Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Elizabeth Ritchie is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at Oklahoma State University,

“It was nice to be able to do that,” Stennis said “I knew I one day wanted to work to help at-risk youth or families. That was my why. That got me through law school-- as tough it was-- and then it got me through the bar exam.”

Upon this rock

She emphasizes she grew up in a stable, two-parent home.

“Both my mom and dad were very hands-on in my schooling.”

-Lindsey Stennis

“My parents are amazing. My dad met my mother when I was three. He’s actually my step-father. Both my mom and dad were very hands-on in my schooling. They’re good, hard-working, genuine people. They’re very generous, always going out of their way to do for others. When I was little, they helped out families at Christmas. I remember going shopping with them and dropping off gifts at people’s homes.

“When family members or whoever called in dire straits, my parents tried within their means to help.”

Her two late grandmothers, Wilma Jackson and Emma Pearl Stennis, were also important influences. The WE in the foundation’s name is derived from her grandmothers’ first initials. Her parents actually first memorialized those matriarchs when they started the WE Care scholarship in 2017. In 2019 Lindsey morphed their idea into WE inspire.

“What you saw was what you got with them. They were both just real people. Funny. They didn’t mess around. They were great.”

Born in Gholson, Miss., Emma Pearl was a self-taught artist who loved to read, especially Black history. She enjoyed cooking, sewing and fellowship with family and friends. She often reminisced about life in the South. Though her schooling ended in the sixth grade , she impressed upon her children and grandchildren the value of getting a good education because it’s something that “can’t be lost or taken away.” She even purchased used encyclopedias from secondhand stores to ensure her children always had access to information.

Wilma was born in Nashville, Tenn. and moved with her family to Los Angeles in the Great Migration and graduated with honors from that city’s first Black high school. She earned a business degree from Los Angeles City College, passed the Federal civil service exam, and ultimately retired after 33 years with the Social Security Administration. She enjoyed playing card games with her friends and making Saturday morning visits to the public library. She instilled in her children the value of a strong work ethic.

Surrounded by caring elders who preached hard work and aspirational goals, there was a legacy and standard to live up to, and Stennis determined to succeed no matter what life dealt her.

"Since my family made sure I had every opportunity to be successful, I just couldn’t let them down. Like what happened with my mom wasn’t going to be an excuse for me. I wasn’t going to throw everything else away.”

Changing the narrative

Stennis thinks it’s unfair certain assumptions are made about the incarcerated. She points out that many people serving sentences committed white collar, non-violent, first-time offenses.

“There’s a school of thought that people who commit crimes and go to prison are bad people – and that’s not always the case, People who have not experienced a loved one incarcerated, or not been incarcerated themselves, or never worked in the field, don’t understand there’s usually some backstory. They just hear that someone committed a crime and went to prison, and that’s that. But it’s not as black and white as that.”

Stennis should know since she works as a county attorney. The job means she comes in contact with both adults who have been incarcerated and with youths who have a parent or a primary caregiver in the system.

Lindsey, holding her son Brandon, the day she was sworn in to practice law in Nebraska in 2018.

Before her current post, she worked as a federal probation officer.

“When I was a probation officer I was assigned to supervise people essentially in the same situation as my mom. That definitely influenced how I treated them. I had a job to do, but I wanted to do it with integrity and maintain the dignity of the people I was supervising because my mom was those people.”

Stennis actually met her mother’s probation officer at a conference.

“It was kind of like the worlds collided – my mom’s probation officer and I being colleagues. He remembered my mom, who did really well in supervision. He was always very supportive of her and her goals. I thanked him for how he treated her with such respect. That’s the same way I tried treating the people I was assigned.”

It’s well-known that America holds two million-plus people in correctional facilities. Not so well known is the nearly three million young people with a loved one behind bars, according to the National Resource Center on Children & Families of the Incarcerated.

When her mother went away to serve time, it meant saying goodbye to the rock in her life.

“In the Black community a lot of strength comes from women,”

- Lindsey Stennis pictured with her mom.

“In the Black community a lot of strength comes from women,” Stennis said. “The women have to be strong, and they pass it down.” Though she lost having her mom around for 30 months, she still “had a really good support system.”

“My mom, my dad, my aunts were all there for me,” she said.

She also spoke to her mother by phone and occasionally visited her.

When her mom went away to serve time, Stennis kept the situation private from classmates and faculty.

“In college I didn’t talk about it too much. I was still trying to wrap my head around it. I started talking about it a little bit more when I got into law school.”

She got close to a fellow student whose father was incarcerated.

She ascribes her ability to cope with such a major life change to “how I was raised.” I was taught stuff happens and you just focus and get through it. You can take a moment to process how you need to, and if you struggle for a bit, that’s fine. But you ultimately need to find your way and get it together. That’s the spirit that was instilled in me. I had to figure it out.”

Tap roots

Resiliency was modeled by her mother.

“I saw her go through things – illnesses, losing her law license, going to prison, and coming out and still making a positive impact on the lives of folks. My mom’s just a fighter. She fights for herself and for others. She empowers others. I never saw a weak mom. Whatever it was, she figured out how to get through it. It’s inspiring knowing I’ve got somebody in my corner that strong. It makes you feel you can pretty much handle what life throws at you.”

Stennis-Williams was acutely aware that though imprisoned, she needed to be a rock for her daughter, "It was important for me to lead by example that when you fall down or get pushed down you don't have to stay down. When you go through a crisis, it does not have to define you. It was important I showed her that you can go to prison and still live and reach your full potential.”

Mother and daughter share their story together before groups.

It didn’t surprise Stennis that her mom rebounded. "I knew she would find a way to make something out of her story and that’s what she’s ended up doing.”

In addition to working with the returning citizen population, Stennis-Williams has written children’s books and recently opened Mama’s Attic Center of African American Arts and Humanities, where she’s curated exhibitions on the Great Migration drawn from her family’s personal stories and archives.

Just as Lindsey admires her mother’s feats, Stennis-Williams is proud her daughter's made a positive out of a negative. "It confirms to me I have raised a very resilient child. She did not let the situation stop her. It compelled her to grow up and do better. She's taking my mess and making it her message by helping others going through the same problem she went through.”

A mother herself, Stennis returned to Omaha in 2018 to be near family. “I want my son to be raised around family. My mom and dad are very supportive. They help me whenever they can. If it’s work related, I can always depend on them.”

She’s still figuring out how to balance having a career, running a foundation and being a mom.

“When it comes to balancing I just try to stay organized. I write everything down in a planner. Everything has its time. My weekends are pretty much for my kid.”

Upon returning to Omaha she worked as an attorney for Douglas County Child Support Services before joining the county prosecutor’s office.

She likes the resurgent North Omaha she’s come back to.

“There are a lot of young Black people trying to take leadership positions. They inspire, bring positive energy and vibes, and I love that.”

She shared information about her foundation at an early 2020 community event, Black Dollars Matter, at Culxr House in North Omaha.

“There’s definitely a new culture and push around self-care, mental health, accepting people and inspiring people. That’s something new. People are trying to find ways to push that notion.”

She admires how organizations like Young Black & Influential Omaha are “recognizing young entrepreneurs and innovators in the community to let people know about positive stuff going on.I don’t remember that atmosphere and activity before I moved away or even the push to try to get people to stay in Omaha. When I was in college the thing was to move away to Texas, Atlanta, DC. Now there’s this recognition we need to find ways to keep people here so they don’t have to leave to have a productive life.”

She encourages ex-pat Omahans to “come back and build something here.”

She’s doing her part with the foundation and her efforts have been noticed. She was a 2020 Young Black & Influential Omaha recipient. The YBI awards gala was slated for June 28 but was cancelled due to COVID-19. Stennis and fellow recipients were highlighted and celebrated virtually. .

Low profile, high expectation

Promoting WE Inspire doesn’t come naturally, Stennis said, "because I am such a private, introverted person." My mom and I are total opposites. I’m like,‘Mom, are you sure it’s okay I’m sharing the story because I don’t want to embarrass you?’ And she’s like, ‘Go ahead, my story is my story.’ ”

Then there’s her profession.

“Sometimes it’s a struggle for me. Yeah, I want the foundation to be great, but I also have a duty to practice discretion and a certain level of decorum with my position as a county attorney. It’s hard sometimes to balance that.”

As for getting the word out about WE Inspire, she said, “My mission is to let people find out organically about it. It had been getting a lot of attention. The day I launched it two people filled out the form applying for the scholarship.” Dozens more followed. But then things came to an abrupt halt.

“When schools closed due to COVD-19 it made it difficult for some applicants to get their transcripts in. We extended deadlines. We tried to be flexible and waive some requirements.”

However, she didn’t get the number of applicants she expected. For the upcoming second round of applications she plans to do more outreach and promotion. She’s also shortening and simplifying the application process.

She’s looking to raise more funds to support and grow the scholarship program. She’s also in the process of forming a board of directors.

Ideally, she’d like her cohort of scholarship recipients to mentor and navigate each new class as part of a network of support.

“My goal’s to keep a relationship with recipients as I feel too often, once students receive a scholarship, there is no continued relationship.”

The experience of the scholarship’s first year revealed that maintaining ongoing relationships and wrap-around services may not be possible, at least not now. She’s adapting as resources and situations warrant.

Mostly, she wants students with parents caught up in the criminal justice system “to realize whatever they’re going through they can make something positive of the situation.” “I want to empower them to go after whatever it is they want to do. I want them to know they're not the only ones going through something like this. They don’t have to feel embarrassed by it. Let your parent know you’re dealing with it and you’ll make something out of it that will make them proud.”

Acknowledging the experience, she said, "is important because it can push you and open up doors for you, but it doesn’t have to be the most significant part of your story.”

The next round of WE Inspire scholarship applications opens in March.

Visit WE Inspire to apply, donate or volunteer.

Aiming to Empower Youth Affected by Family Incarceration