S2 Ep 4: Wounded Healing with Cory Greene

Acosta Institute

Cory Greene is a formerly incarcerated co-founder and Healing Justice Organizer with How Our Lives link Altogether! (H.O.L.L.A!). He is invested in developing, leading and implementing an intergenerational, youth-led, citywide and nationwide Healing Justice Movement. Cory (39 years old) was born and raised by a single mother in East Elmhurst Queens, NY, during a time when many mothers and urban communities were impacted by the crack epidemic. His ancestors and elders hail from the struggles of delta Mississippi, and the historical reality of being Black in “America.” Cory’s experiences as a youth growing up in urban ghettos have contributed to his understanding of systemic inequalities. As a result, Cory has committed himself to a wide range of educational projects, healing, and grassroots movement building that seek to change existing conditions for youth of color and our communities. Cory earned his Associate degree in Liberal Arts Deaf Studies from LaGuardia Community College and his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology from New York University. He earned his doctoral degree from the Critical Social Personality Psychology program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) where his research efforts analyze the praxis of grassroots pedagogy and healing-centered youth organizing within a process of radical healing.

Cory serves as a research associate and leader on numerous participatory action research (PAR) projects. Cory is an organizer with the Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People and Family Movement (FICPFM), a national movement led by formerly incarcerated leaders to change the public policy landscape of criminal justice (punishment). He is also a national organizer with the Education Liberation Project, engaging in a national project to uplift Prison Abolition through an educational toolkit. He is a 2013 National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, 2013 Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellow, 2016 Echoing Green Fellow and 2017 Camelback fellow. Cory's organizing work, humanity and analysis has been featured in critical documentaries such as Ava Duvernay’s 13th, From Prison to NYU, and most recently, H.O.L.L.A!’s Healing Justice Movement Documentary “We Came to Heal.” Cory has been married since he was 21 years old, a total of 18 years. He attributes knowing how to love and understanding of the importance of interpersonal journeying to his wife. Cory is a father who attributes his work, motivation and success to his son’s existence.

You can find out more about H.O.L.L.A here.
We want to thank Paper Monday for the interviews and portraits, Jo Barratt and Dike Godstime for the audio engineering and Maria Tan from House of Thriving for co-producing this podcast season.