Reginald Dwayne Betts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reginald Dwayne Betts
Betts in 2019
Born	Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	Poet teacher lawyer
Education	Prince George's Community College University of Maryland, College Park (BA) Warren Wilson College (MA) Yale University (JD)
Notable awards	Guggenheim Fellowship (2018) MacArthur Fellowship (2021)
Spouse	Terese Robertson Betts
Children	2

Reginald Dwayne Betts is an American poet, teacher, and lawyer. He is also a strong supporter of making changes to the prison system. He started reading and writing poetry while he was in prison. After his release, he went on to earn advanced degrees from top universities. He even worked with President Barack Obama's team. Betts also started an organization called Freedom Reads. This group helps people in prison get access to books. In 2021, he received a special award called the MacArthur Fellowship.

Early Life and His Time in Prison

Reginald Dwayne Betts was born in Maryland. As a young person, he was very smart and did well in school. He was in gifted programs and was an honors student in high school. He was even the class treasurer at Suitland High School. This school is in District Heights, Maryland.

When he was sixteen, Betts made a serious mistake. This led to him spending more than eight years in prison. During this time, he finished high school. He also started reading and writing poetry. He spent fourteen months in a special part of the prison where he was alone.

In 2016, Betts talked about his time in prison. He said that when he was alone, he could ask for a book. Someone would slide it to him. He often did not know who sent it. One day, he received a book called The Black Poets. In this book, he read poems by famous writers like Robert Hayden and Sonia Sanchez. He realized that poets could create a whole world with their words. This experience made him decide to become a poet. While in prison, he was given the name Shahid, which means "witness."

Learning and Helping Others After Prison

After spending eight years in prison, Betts got a job at a bookstore. This store was called Karibu Books in Bowie, Maryland. He worked hard and became a manager there. He also started a book club for young African American boys. At the same time, he was taking classes at Prince George's Community College.

Later, Betts became a poetry teacher in Washington, D.C. In 2013, he taught writing at Emerson College. He is now a national spokesperson for the Campaign for Youth Justice. This group works to improve the justice system for young people. He also visits detention centers and schools. He talks to young people who might be at risk.

In 2012, President Barack Obama chose Betts to be part of a special council. This group was called the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

In 2016, Betts earned a law degree from Yale Law School. He later started working on a Ph.D. in law at Yale. In 2017, he was approved to become a lawyer in Connecticut. After Yale, he worked for the New Haven Public Defender’s Office. He helped people who needed legal help. He also worked for a judge in a high court.

Today, Betts is a researcher at Yale Law School. He also teaches English at Harvard University.

Freedom Reads: A Special Project

In 2020, Betts started a non-profit organization called Freedom Reads. He received a large grant of $5.25 million to start this project. Freedom Reads wants to give people in prison more chances to learn. They plan to build "Freedom Libraries" in every prison cellblock in America. Betts is the director of this important organization.

Awards and Recognitions

Reginald Dwayne Betts has received many awards for his writing and work:

• 2009: Beatrice Hawley Award for his book Shahid Reads His Own Palm.
• 2010: Fellowship from the Open Society Foundations.
• 2010: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author for his book A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison.
• 2018: PEN America's Writing for Justice Fellowship.
• 2018: Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.
• 2021: MacArthur Fellowship.