Meet Zeus Luby | Director of Programming

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zeus Luby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zeus, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m originally from West Philadelphia. I moved to Georgia when I was fairly young and my family struggled financially over the years. Existing on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum came with a long list of limitations. Amongst the most detrimental of limitations was that of emergency funding and a lack of a robust and diverse social and professional network. These deficiencies proved to be most injurious at the age of 17 when the county I was a resident of mistakenly issued a warrant for my arrest resulting in a felony conviction on my record. It took me 7 years to get it removed because my family didn’t have money to hire a top attorney to rectify the situation sooner. My family didn’t have friends or colleagues within the criminal justice system to help me navigate those complex legal waters. I had all the clear documentation to prove the specifics of the mistake. I attempted to gain an audience with and wrote letters to the judge and district attorney who signed off on the warrant but I was turned away and ignored. I didn’t have an advocate to fight on my behalf and help my voice to be heard. It was that experience and those 7 years of hardship as a felon that inspired me to do the work I do today. I stand as an advocate for disadvantaged young people to prevent them from being lost in and trapped in the system.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m the Director of Programming for RED Inc, a nonprofit organization that focuses on youth rehabilitation. We operate in the restorative justice space and what sets us apart from other programs is our dedication to the “human component’ of our mission. Many initiatives that endeavor to help justice involved individuals don’t invest the time or the energy to truly get to know them. Each of their stories are different and deeply nuanced. Those details teach you how to interact with and better assist each person. That’s the essence of the human component and without it, many program participants feel like they’re just another case file being pushed through the system.

I was chosen for this position due to my difficult upbringing and my unique struggles within the criminal justice system. I’ve been on this journey with the RED team for over 6 years at this point, and it’s been a tough yet infinitely rewarding road. Running a mentorship program that requires the effort of a full time job with no budget in the early years was extremely challenging. This work takes both a physical and an emotional toll on you, but my passion and my love for what I do and the impact I’m making has always given me what I needed to keep going.

I’ve learned innumerable lessons along the way. I could be here for hours running down that list. But one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is how to manage the grief from losing a mentee. With each new group I spend that one-on-one time with each participant. That time allows me to learn and really connect with them. Over the course of our 12 month program I grow to love our mentees, our RED family. And the power of that approach is found in our rate of success. The recidivism (return to incarceration) rate for traditional methods within the justice system is 60%. Meaning 60% of people who get released and are subject to the normal process of probation as a means of rehabilitation, ultimately go back to jail. In our program less than 10% go back. That rate of success is an amazing improvement! But for those few that were rearrested, those losses cut deep. It felt like I lost a family member to the system. In some cases it felt like I lost a child to the system. I felt grief and felt that I failed them. I had to learn how to manage those feelings and convert that pain into fuel, and use that fuel to fight harder for the remaining and future mentees.

I want the world to know that RED Inc is going to change the fabric of restorative justice. Our approach and methodologies are going to revolutionize this space and help the rising generations receive better and more specialized care.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d start our day by getting a workout in. Get a quick 5 mile run around Stone Mountain and hike to the top. Its a great place to exercise while taking in beautiful scenery. From there we’d get cleaned up and head to see my guy Poncho over at “Breakfast at Barneys”. The food there is spectacular! Everything on the menu is fantastic so you can’t go wrong. After brunch  “Atlanta Spine Doctors” would be the next destination to connect with my good brother Rashad Sanford. His practice has an array of amazing corrective and rejuvenating services. My friend and I would get decompressing massages and relax for a couple hours. It’d be early evening by then so we’d stop by my girl’s beautiful studio “Artzy Bella” for their unique artistic creation sessions. Ashley Bella is a brilliant painter and muralist whose works can be seen throughout the city of Atlanta. Her curated studio experiences are some of the best you’ll find. To end the evening after we’ve exhausted our creative juices we’d make our way to my family Korey Felder’s spot “Bar Vegan” for a delicious dinner. The menu they put together over there is miraculously good. I still can’t believe the food is all vegan. It’s an incredible experience and the vibe is always classy and upbeat.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My daughter Zada was and is my primary and constant source of motivation and encouragement. I learned of my felony conviction shortly after learning I would soon be a father. So there was no option to lose hope, give up, or throw in the towel because I had my little girl to keep fighting for. She pushed me to draw the very best of myself, all the good within my being to surface so I could be the father she deserved. That desire to be a good example for my princess helped me use my hardships to guide and empower others.

Website: stoprecidivism.org

Instagram: @zeusluby

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeus-luby-483b6038/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/zeus.luby?tsid=0.2510067303783625&source=result

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbKcEXmY07chDyeNK64GzoQ