BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Jaubrae Dixon spent nine years in prison at Corcoran. Today, he is one of Bakersfield's most committed community activists. He is using everything he learned along the way to help others find their own path forward.
Dixon reflects on his past and uses it as a driving source, to help other community members make a difference in their own lives. He firmly believes in partnering with multiple nonprofits and organizations in Bakersfield to help young and older men realize their true potential. Equipping them with lifelong skills they can carry into every stage of life. Those who know Dixon say his transformation speaks for itself.
"Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Jaubrae's story, his testimony is a picture of Gods redemptive work. His ability to take a life, that was going down the wrong path intentionally. Now he has been transformed and doing amazing work in the community," Dr. Traco Matthews Pastor in Bakersfield said.
Dixon credits a mentor he met during his incarceration with changing the direction of his life. He says that relationship is the foundation of everything he does now.
"Through my incarceration at a key point, I met a mentor Stephen Evans someone who changed my life. I am a big believer that we can't be what we don't see. My mentor's last message was to continue to pass on the same impact he had on my life to others. I did exactly that, and I think that is my biggest encouragement to the youth. Don't keep what you got, or what you learned. Go pass it on to somebody," Dixon said.
Dixon has made youth mentorship his mission through his organization C.H.A.N.G.E.S., where he works with young people from the same communities he once came from. Helping them understand that their future can be more than the cycle of violence and incarceration.
"I put into C.H.A.N.G.E.S what I now know that I needed to hear when I was an 15,16,17-year-old kid. I filled in a lot of those gaps with my organization. Reminding these kids, change is possible, where you are right now doesn't dictate where you will end up in the future," Dixon said.
Community member Sunni Crawford says Dixon's influence has shaped the way he approaches his own challenges.
"Why I say resilience, even when you are at the bottom and you don't feel like you have anything left. You are still able to see it through, but it is going to take that mindset to finish your task. That's what he taught me. Secondly, is to manifest. What we think is what we do," Crawford said.
Michael Armstrong joined C.H.A.N.G.E.S. earlier this year and says it is already making a difference. Not only in his own life, but in how he plans to show up for others.
"He helps us out, and shows us the things that are accomplishable in life. Showing us what to do and what not to do. Encouraging us to reach for more when we get older. Focusing on myself and doing the things that I know are right," Armstrong said.
Dixon says when life knocks you down, the only person who can stop you from getting back up and reclaiming your future is you.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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