'I have a big girl job'
By Akilah Davis
Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2023 5:50PM
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Tydricka Lewis' job announcement couldn't have come at a better time. She is a mother of three who has only been out of prison for four years.
The 33-year-old is a product of Durham's Southside neighborhood; she went to prison for writing bad checks to cash in on whatever her heart desired.
"Drug dealing. Drug doing and selling. All the things a child shouldn't be in tune with at an early age," said Lewis. "I did buy clothes, but we were staying in hotel rooms, paying people to stay at their house, my life was very unbalanced."
She served six years in prison and found it difficult to get a job once she was released -- because of her record -- until she connected with Step Up Durham, an organization that provides free employment services for job seekers.
In March of 2022, the city partnered with the nonprofit to provide a $600 monthly stipend to those who were formally incarcerated like Lewis.
