President Donald Trump is expected to name the Rev. Tony Lowden, the first black American to lead Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, where former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are longtime members, as the administration’s “reentry czar,” to help former prisoners reentering the workforce.
A White House official confirmed the pending announcement in a CNN report which also cited a statement from Carter praising Lowden’s selection.
“I cannot think of anyone better than Tony Lowden to lead a national effort to help those who have served time in prison get a true second chance once they are released,” Carter said in the statement praising Lowden, who previously worked on prison reform initiatives in Georgia and served as the director of the faith and justice initiative for former Republican Gov. Nathan Deal in his Office of Transition Support and Reentry.
“With support and resources, recidivism can decrease and former inmates can become productive members of their communities. The congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains will help in any way we can.”
In a 2018 executive order Trump established a Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry that he tasked with developing recommendations for reform. Lowden will be named executive director of the council which Ja’Ron Smith, a deputy assistant to the president and member of the council, told McClatchy DC that Trump is fully committed.
“The president has been totally committed to second chances and this is that next step to pave the way, and really creating, and reducing recidivism,” Smith told the publication.
Source: Christian Post
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