Hank Johnson is the Co-Founder and President of the Circle of H.O.P.E. Growing up in the Birchwood neighborhood of Oxon Hill, MD, he was introduced early on to a life of hard times. Even during these times however, his gift for leadership was unmistakable. While serving a five year prison sentence, Hank lost a close friend and mentee to street violence. Feeling as though he failed in guiding his f
riend to a better life, Hank decided to choose a different life – one that would put him on a path to greatness, and help end the violence and self-destruction associated with young African Americans in the Prince George’s County, Maryland neighborhoods. Hank attended Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, MD, and obtained his GED in 2001. He currently attends PG Community College (Largo, MD), studying in the field of Mass Communication, and works in Facilities Management at Ebenezer AME Church in Ft. In 2004, Hank was featured in the Washington Post for accepting a peace treaty that ended a long term, historical beef between his former crew in Birchwood and the Shadow High crew (Oxon Hill, MD). He has worked as a counselor to the youth in PG County and is now dedicated to the empowerment of youth and young adults through the Circle of H.O.P.E.
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Jamal Spratley, Co-Founder and CEO of the Circle of H.O.P.E.; was born in Petersburg, Virginia, and grew up in Southeast Washington, DC. Having a father who was notorious in the street life, he was introduced to a life of crime and violence from childhood. Despite the negative influences in his life, Jamal went on to graduate from McKinley Technical High School in 1991, and in 1992, he enrolled as a student at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), where he initially sought a degree in criminology. In 2002, he returned to UDC and in 2003 received three certifications in Information Technology. Jamal, a former member of the Birchwood crew in Oxon Hill, Maryland, turned his life around after losing a close friend to the streets in December of 2003. A naturally well-spoken young man, he began to use his gifts for communication and leadership to help educate and uplift his community. For two years (2003 – 2005), Jamal taught computer networking to adults for a Washington, DC based, non-profit organization called Byte Back. In 2004, he was featured in the Washington Informer for his efforts to end street violence, in which he hosted a Father’s Day Celebration and Stop the Violence Rally in conjunction with the ROOT Organization (Washington, DC). Gifted in film editing, Jamal founded Instant Inner Vision, a video production company, in 2004. The company currently serves a wide range of clientele in the DC Metro Area from Capitol Hill to the church community. Jamal works diligently at being a positive role model and providing a platform of opportunity for the youth and young adults in the Prince George’s County and DC Metropolitan areas.
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