GREENSBORO, N.C. — A man, who has changed his life after receiving clemency from President Barack Obama in 2016, is awaiting an approval for a pardon from President Joe Biden.
“It's important when you come back and have a blueprint, a plan to actually be able to see certain things. But, I mean, due to what's taking place here in our society, everyone doesn't get that opportunity,” Shawn Pressley said.
Pressley shared the reality of what people go through when released from federal prison, like he was eight years ago.
"So, what I do is what I teach is learning how to get the basic necessities of what you need. Bank accounts, learning how to build your credit score, getting your license, having everything legit to where you can actually function in society in many different ways and forms of fashion,” Pressley said.
In 1997, Pressley was convicted of a drug trafficking charge that landed him in federal prison in North Carolina serving 26 years, but he received clemency from former President Barack Obama in 2016 and was released after serving 19 years.
"Overwhelming. You know, when you sit and you pray and you're trying to find answers and you're doing all the right things, hoping for an opportunity, and it actually came. I started to just believe in myself in certain aspects and speak things into existence," Pressley said.
Since his release, Pressley has turned his life around, using this opportunity of clemency to not only change his life but to give back. He’s become a motivational speaker, consults with the Racial Equity Institute and works in the packing industry for Ameritek.
"About two years ago in New Bedford, Massachusetts, I was the keynote speaker at UMass for 500 kids. I was called there because the kids were very violent, a lot of different things that were taking place, and they allowed me to come in and tell my story,” Pressley said.
Despite being given a second chance, receiving voting rights back and being able to get a passport, he said there are still challenges.
"And I want to highlight, to make sure that everyone understands that just because you receive clemency or pardons, that doesn't mean you're just flourishing back into society. It is a very difficult task, if you don't have the foundation or the background of other people trying to help you move to the next level," Pressley said.
He said housing is still something affecting him today.
"To move from Greensboro into a much larger area, maybe Charlotte-Concord area, and to be met with, being told no after filing, you know, paying the application fee and everything else. It just gave me the start. Not the real reality that these things are still persistent. So, I'm being affected. How many others? Millions are still being affected by those same things," Pressley said.
What will help turn it around will be a pardon. It’s something he’s been working on for the past six months, a rigorous process he said.
"They interview not only myself, but family, friends, employers, you name it. It's very, very rigorous. So, I don't want people to think that it's just something that the president just gives away. No, you have to earn that space and acknowledge the fact that there's a lot of things that you are a part of, but you are also giving back to the community," Pressley said.
And he wants to continue to make successful accomplishments in his life and in others.
“Feel good about being back into society and being able to function as a citizen, but I'm also limited. So, with this pardon, it allows me. It allows me to be seen and function as a normal law-abiding citizen," Pressley said.
Biden recently granted clemency to nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes.
A pardon forgives the actual conviction, but it does not signify innocence. Pressley is waiting to hear back.