Forty men and women gathered at Brooklyn's Borough Hall in their caps and gowns for a graduation ceremony this past Thursday afternoon. But this was not a high school or higher education graduation. Instead, these were formerly incarcerated New Yorkers who had completed workforce development programs run by the Osborne Association.
The nonprofit has been working with those impacted by incarceration since 1933. Its programs help former inmates adjust from being in prison to being members of their community, offering job training, employment services, housing and other resources.
During the hour-long event, speeches were given by a handful of graduates, Osborne staff members and Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
"Change your attitude, be more positive," Reynoso said, before quoting from Chris Wallace, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G. "Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way. That's the obligation."
Verdell Simms, Deputy Director of Osborne's Workforce Development Programs, told the graduates they did not walk on their journey alone, and that community and unity run hand in hand. "This is not the end of the program," Simms said. "This is beginning of the new chapter. You have demonstrated courage, resilience and determination."
One graduate, Wamel Allah, received applause after his speech telling his fellow graduates that both the programs and afterward are about excellence. "Don't let no one say you can't achieve," he said. "Be in control of yourself, your anger. Take responsibility, respond to responsibility. Don't point fingers."
Wamel Allah said that the program taught him to stay focused whenever anything became difficult, particularly when he was commuting from Queens to his job on Coney Island.
"If you give up, you don't have anything," he told BK Reader. "Believe in yourself, be resilient, move forward. It starts with me myself. Stay focused."
Allah has an associate's degree in paralegal studies and will attend Berkeley College to his Bachelors' in legal studies. He plans to then go to law school.
"Osborne took me a long way," he said.
According to the Osborne Association, in 2025, the nonprofit helped participants secure a total of 236 job placements spanning 15 sectors across its workforoce development programs, with an average starting wage of $26.13.
Halfway during the event, graduates were called up to receive their certificate. The ceremony ended with a class picture. Afterward, a reception was held in Borough Hall, chosen because of its close proximity to Osborne Association's offices on Remsen Street.
Two of Osborne's programs represented on Thursday were Community Justice Reentry Network and Pathways for Reentry, Employment, and Parenting. Both provide job training and teach self-regulation and anger management, while the latter program is geared toward parents and guardians.
Graduates of the program often obtain jobs in construction, food services and human services, according to the Osborne Association's website.
