Econmic Mobiity/Communities/Racial Equity

Tiawana Brown, born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, survivor of Mass incarceration, served four years in federal prison collectively for fraud charges. (white collar non-violent crime). The mother of two adult daughters Antoinette and Tijema. At time of her sentencing she was pregnant with her youngest of her only two daughter’s Tijema. Her daughters are her motivation. She was raised in the church and had a phenomenal role model, her mother Artie M. Brown. 

Hard-working, single mother is where Tia learned her work ethics from.

A prison reform/community activist, speaker, writer, she has committed her life and work to empowering women/girls and working to keep our youth out of the judicial system. She is also the founder of Beauty after the Bars(501c3), an advocacy organization committed to changing the world and how society view formerly incarcerated people. She also, oversees the mentoring program, re-entry program in Partnership with Sheriff Garry L. McFadden /Mecklenburg County Detention Center- to ensure once the residents that are released from jail-they never experience recidivism.  Her dress for success program helps with  proper attire for employment opportunities, adopt an resident program to keep the lines of communication flowing between incarcerated people and their family members and productive members of society. 

Tiawana is a proud member & State Leader for North Carolina National Council for incarcerated and  formerly incarcerated women. The ultimate goal for the organization is to end mass incarceration. She is an executive board member of Concerned Citizens for Communities in Action. She has received accolades of awards including Who’s Who in 2018- Community Service Awards, Million Youth March Recipient and National Reform work for returning citizens. Served as Community Advocate Coordinator during the 2012 Democratic Convention. Her notable accomplishments have led to her being asked to serve on boards: NC Department of Public Safety – State Reentry Council Collaborative (SRCC) – Women and incarceration Workgroup and The Leadership Campaign for Mecklenburg County Sheriff candidate Garry L. McFadden. 

Tia has been featured on WBTV News, WOSF Radio Station , Radio One Network, Afropunk.com, Meduim.Com, Francene Marie Show, Participated in Symposiums at NYU School of Law and Columbia University in New York, New York. She worked on Ban the Box Project. Currently she has the Beauty After The Bars Radio show /podcast on  The Real  People of Charlotte-Morality Media Network.  This Platform will allow the voices of all people to be echoed.

She has appeared as key-note for multitudes of churches, schools and community events. Formerly known as federal prisoner #10567-058, she has dedicated her experience in prison as her platform for reform, reentry, and to reduce recidivism. She supports Racial Equity and works to create equal opportunities for  economic growth for all people-known as Economic Mobility. 

After seeing first-hand the injustices women face behind bars and having her youngest daughter in prison, Tiawana D. Brown, decided to join the movement of the National Council for  incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women  and girls. Creating a national platform for formerly incarcerated and incarcerated women  and girls to share their voices and experiences  of incarceration -to work to end incarceration of women and and girls. 

Despite her blemishes with the other side of the law, through her transparency ,grass root work and her activism, she is being the change she wants to see and dedicated to bringing awareness to the systematic injustice, as well as racial inequities.