Meet Katherine Passley | CoExecutive Director of Beyond the Bars, Poet and Creative Director of Caged Bird Arts

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

Hi Katherine, how does your business help the community?
Beyond the Bars is a worker center in Miami-Dade County focused on disrupting the cycle of low-wage jobs and incarceration. Our mission is to empower our members – workers with criminal records and their families – by fostering leadership, providing education, driving policy innovation, and offering essential services. Through Caged Bird Arts, a program of Beyond the Bars, we aim to amplify the voices of impacted artists, creating economic opportunities in the artistic community and fostering inclusivity of their experiences.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Born and raised in Miami, I currently hold the role of Co-Executive Director at Beyond the Bars, a worker center dedicated to breaking the cycle of low-wage jobs and incarceration in our county. The peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 marked a turning point in my life when my father’s incarceration deeply affected our family. Witnessing half of my family impacted by the criminal legal system, I initially joined Beyond the Bars as a member and evolved into an organizer, through the organization’s dedicated investments in my leadership.

My journey with Beyond the Bars began as a personal endeavor to acquire the skills needed to unite families affected by incarceration, foster unity, and bring about positive changes in our community. Now, as Co-Executive Director, I am devoted to dismantling the effects of incarceration through leadership development, community organizing, policy advocacy, and the transformative power of art.

As an Afro-Latina Artivist, I firmly believe in the healing and solidarity that art therapy offers to those impacted by these complex issues. With over a decade of experience as an art healer, faith-based community restorative justice specialist, and three years as a community organizer, I bring a wealth of expertise and dedication to my role at Beyond the Bars. My multifaceted approach emphasizes the holistic potential of addressing the intersections of incarceration, employment, and community well-being.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well if your with me we have to grab lunch at Naomi’s Garden Restaurant. then we would explore the history of Overtown at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater. And have a fancy dinner at Red Rooster (hopefully it’s monday where we can go to the pool hall for the open mic)

We must have Breakfast at Lorna’s Caribbean & American Grill. (because you must visit Miami Gardens if you’re in town), Visit Little Haiti’s Caribbean Marketplace or Explore cooperatives like Sweat Records and Glazed Over Donuts.. And Jam at Katz in North Miami.

Part of the itinerary should include visit Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. Lunch at house of mac. Dinner at the Conukito (and get the picadera) and Pinolandia for fritanga

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Firstly, my heartfelt thanks to the community I call home, North Miami, where I was born and raised. My educational journey at Florida Memorial University, the only historically black college in South Florida, sparked my passion for criminal justice and civil rights. Graduate school at Florida International University further reinforced the importance of uniting diverse cultures to drive positive change.

A special shoutout goes to Columns of Fire in Allapattah, my church, for fostering love and unity. Lastly, I express deep gratitude to Beyond the Bars. In the midst of my father’s arrest in 2020 amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Where we felt the brute force of fear and isolation, Beyond the Bars became my community. As a staff member, we organized families with loved ones, and now, as a worker center, we ensure our loved ones reintegrate into society without facing exploitation in the workplace, or feel forced to work in the informal economy due to their records.

Website: https://www.beyondthebars.com/

Instagram: beyondbars_mia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-beltres-passley-9b8b598a/