TOPEKA K. SAM
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
THE LADIES OF HOPE MINISTRIES (THE LOHM)
While in Federal Prison, Topeka K. Sam witnessed firsthand the epidemic and disparity of incarceration on women, more specifically women of color. She felt the urgency to bring the faces and voices of women in prison to the public in order to bring awareness to women’s incarceration and post-incarceration issues in order to change the criminal legal system.
After her release in 2015 and in response to what she saw and learned in prison, Topeka created The Ladies of Hope Ministries (The LOHM) an organization whose mission is to help disenfranchised and marginalized women transition back into society through education, entrepreneurship, spiritual empowerment, and advocacy. With Vanee Sykes, Topeka developed the vision for Hope House NYC while they were incarcerated. Hope House NYC is a safe housing space for formerly incarcerated women located in the Castle Hill neighborhood of the Bronx. Photos by Greg Clark.
