Revered Activist Angelo Pinto: Justice Must Be Served

As an activist, you fight for the social system, which will bring benefits to your community and you. There has been evidence that has stated that activism can actually lead to enhanced psychological well-being. Activism can improve your sense of control over your life and help you confront any hopelessness and helplessness that you might be experiencing.

Moreover, it can improve your sense of belonging and mattering in a community as you work towards supporting others in their quests or causes that you all fight for. We must participate in a process that helps to create a culture where we have the responsibility and rights to be able to feel valued and add value to ourselves and to others in order to experience fairness and wellness.

A prime example of such an activist who has been relentlessly working towards the betterment of humankind is none other than Angelo Ricardo Pinto — a highly acclaimed Columbian-American entrepreneur, educator, civil rights activist, criminal justice expert, and more.

After being mentored by the famous civil rights activist and professor Vincent Harding, Pinto entered the professional industry and immediately started making major differences in the social system. He worked in conjunction with Michelle Alexander’s campaign to end the new Jim Crow and led Prison-industrial complex teach-in at Occupy Wall Street, Zuccotti Park.

He is also the Campaign Manager of the Raise of Age Campaign at the Correctional Association of New York, which brought light to the Kalief Browder and the Exonerated 5. The result of his work at the campaign was astronomical when it came to reforming the New York law to ensure that 16 to 17-year-olds would not be housed in jail with adults nor automatically be charged as adults.

His campaign work has been authorized as one of the most important pieces of criminal justice reform in New York State history. The victory allowed him a chance to visit the White House as a part of National Youth Justice Awareness Month and Switerzland to testify before the United Nations in Geneva at the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

On this occasion, he spoke on the issues regarding the barbaric practices of the youth who were being prosecuted as adults — a speech that was seen on multiple TV shows, including The Roland Martin Show Changing America on MSNBC, Arise News Network, and more.

Some of his other notable achievements include co-founding Until Freedom, an intersectional social justice organization with activists like Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, etc. Additionally, he is also the lead organizer for the Indigenous Peoples March and worked on the Free Meek documentary, which procured the release of the Philadelphia-born rapper.

Pinto has also been known for founding another prestigious establishment called Justice Academy — an educational platform for high school students who can learn about matters related to social justice from revered advocates and activists on the ground. Furthermore, he has also been named to the Black Enterprise 40 Under 40 and Ebony Magazine Power 100 — further amplifying his reputation as one of the finest leaders of justice in our modern days.