Former Maryland Democratic Party chair Yvette Lewis and her husband, Ed, have taken the first steps and made donations to launch a new scholarship program at Bowie State University.

This program aims to help formerly incarcerated individuals earn a degree from the historically Black university.

The Fresh Start initiative, born out of the Lewises' desire to make a meaningful impact in their next chapter of life, will support those leaving incarceration in starting their college careers.

'We really want this to be like a renewal and for someone to feel like they are truly stepping out with a really, really good opportunity to have a good start at rebuilding their lives,' Yvette Lewis said.

'And education, we feel, is the way to do that.

'Inspired by a student who came from 'troubling circumstances' and went on to earn multiple degrees, the couple began exploring schools that offered programs for people in prison, with Bowie State being one of them.

However, as they discussed donating money for a scholarship with university officials, a new question arose.

'We were wondering, 'Well, what happens when they come out?'' Yvette Lewis said.

'And there was really no real effort for when they come out, it was all while they were in.

'Bowie State currently offers a prison education program at the Jessup Correctional Institution, allowing incarcerated individuals to earn a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and an optional entrepreneurship certificate.

This fall, the program will have nearly two dozen students, according to David Thompson, a spokesperson for the university.

The Lewises initially invested $10,000 toward the Fresh Start scholarship.

During a reception held at the university in March, they raised the total investment to $25,000, reaching endowment status—funding that can be grown for generations.

'I believe in education so much that it has been nothing but a pleasure to watch this initial idea from Yvette Lewis now become a reality, and sometime in about a year and a half, that first award will be made,' said Brent Swinton, the university’s vice president for philanthropic engagement.

'That’ll be a really special day, not just for the Lewises, but also for the recipient.

'The Lewises, who graduated from Howard University, want their donations to impact people of color.

As of July 2022, about 71% of people incarcerated in state prisons were Black, according to a 2022 Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services report.

The couple also hopes the scholarship will prevent people from returning to prison.

Of the more than 6,700 people who were released from prison between July 2018 and June 2019, about 31% returned to the correctional system in some way within three years, according to the department’s 2022 recidivism report.

For those convicted of felony crimes, release from prison also means eligibility to register to vote.

The Lewises hope that anyone who benefits from the scholarship registers.

'They could be Republican, Democrat, independent—I really don’t care,' Yvette Lewis said.

'Ed and I both want them to be practicing, civically engaged members of society so that they would feel like they were a part of the community and have a voice in their government.

'Ed Lewis wants people transitioning out of prison to know there is a team of people who want them to succeed.

But even more than that, he wants them to have faith and confidence in themselves.

'There’s so many different positives to this, but it’s mainly to tell them, to send a message that, ‘Yes, you made a mistake before, but this is a fresh start,’' he said.

'We’re not going to hold that against you… and we want you to feel like you’re welcome back into society.

'