Portraits of a New Beginning: Glennis (Chacha) Quiñones

«Everything is better out here, but everything is difficult: looking for work, looking for a place to live. The first week after I got out of prison, I wanted to go back. I am not a sad woman. Now I enjoy my freedom.»

Born in California in 1977 to a Puerto Rican family, Glennis “Chacha” Quiñones had to restart her life at the age of 42. Over the past decade, she has been incarcerated on numerous occasions for minor offenses. Upon her release from prison, she began working at Dragonfly, a thrift store on Calle Ocho in Miami, Florida, after completing the Leap for Ladies program, which assists women in preparing for life outside of prison. A year and four months after her release from incarceration, her life underwent a significant transformation. Chacha got married and relocated with her husband to Orlando, where they operated a home improvement business together. One of her two daughters and her mother resided with them on a seasonal basis. Her father passed away in prison due to complications from COVID-19, shortly before completing his 25-year sentence.

^{* The testimonies in "Portraits of a New Beginning" were collected and edited by Ana María Carrano, María Gabriela Méndez, Olivia Liendo and Tamoa Calzadilla, under the coordination of Olivia Liendo and Ana María Carrano.}

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