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DETERMINED TO PROVIDE
William always wanted to take care of his family, but it was hard to escape a cycle of incarceration.
By Josiah Hemp
William grew up in a close family, but he struggled to give that same family life to his kids. In and out of prison, he tried to provide for and connect with his kids, but they could see what was going on. They noticed the long stretches of time when he would be gone, in prison and unable to spend time with them.
“Dad, I know you say your family is your top priority, but that's not true,” his son told him.
Making good on his commitment to prioritize his family would require both determination and creativity.
FAMILY LIFE
William spent his early years in rural Mississippi. “I grew up with no streetlights and [with] outhouses,” he says.
Although his family did have running water in their house, his grandfather refused to get indoor plumbing, using an outhouse for his whole life. That grandfather also built his own house. William says he looked up to his humble, hardworking, and generous grandfather.
William was the oldest of four brothers, raised by a single mother.
“My mama was a churchgoing lady,” William says.
William remembers attending revival meetings nearly every weekday and church on Sunday.
RUNNING THE STREETS
At the age of 12, William moved from Mississippi to Waterloo, Iowa. His family continued to attend church, but William started noticing what the other kids around him were like. They were already driving cars and had plenty of money.
William wanted to be like them, so he started running the streets. His role-model grandfather was gone, but his mother was watching, and she worried. She warned him every single day that he was going astray.
“I wish you would stop trying to be somebody you're seeing in the streets and be who I raised you to be,” she would say.
As a teenager, William was in and out of the juvenile detention center. Along the way, he fathered three children, the first at age 14. One part of his childhood did stick with him: the importance of taking care of family. He used money from his drug dealing to care for his kids, but he was often away from them for extended periods due to time in the detention center.
As a teenager, William was in and out of the juvenile detention center.
PRISON TIME
Although William spent plenty of time in the juvenile detention center and the county jail, his first time in prison was different.
“[It was] scary,” William says. “Although I felt like I was a man, there’s doubt. No matter how old you get, no matter how strong minded you are, there is still doubt lingering around the corner.”
He faced a 10-year sentence for a drug related crime. Through various sentence reductions, he ended up serving 35 months in prison during his first stay there. It wouldn’t be his last. William says he didn’t realize when he started dealing drugs that his choices would lead to this.
“I just saw the cars and the pockets full of money amongst guys in my age group,” he says. “But nobody told me at the end of that road, there’s four trips to prison with about a total of six to 10 years. I ain’t counting all the juvenile time. … That’s what I would tell my 12-year-old self. You see the glitz and glamor, but you don’t see the hard times.”
William says his time in prison strengthened his faith. While he recalls always having a relationship with God, he says he spent more time in the Bible behind bars because he had no excuse not to. The lockdowns, curfews, and counts presented many opportunities to spend time praying.
While he recalls always having a relationship with God, he says he spent more time in the Bible behind bars because he had no excuse not to.
A FATHER BEHIND BARS
Although William was in prison, he still wanted to be there for his kids as much as possible. He called home frequently and participated in a number of programs that connected prisoners with their children.
Every Christmas that he was in prison, William filled out a form to participate in Prison Fellowship Angel Tree®.
“Angel Tree was a blessing,” he says.
Angel Tree Christmas equips churches and other organizations to serve incarcerated parents like William by providing a pathway for restoring and strengthening their relationships with their children and families. Through Angel Tree, hundreds of thousands of children receive a gift, the Gospel, and a personal message of love on behalf of their incarcerated parent.
“It was a blessing to be able to send those gifts and knowing that my name would be written on it with a little message that says, ‘Hey, Dad loves you,’” William says.
William still felt sad to be missing Christmas with his family, but he appreciated that when he called home on Christmas he would hear his children’s appreciation for their gifts.
William’s mom regularly brought his kids to visit him in prison. Still, William kept missing out on being part of his kids’ childhoods. Then, one day his 12-year-old son told him something that would change his life.
He said, “Dad, I know you say your family is your top priority, but that's not true. Because if we were your top priority, you would be out there with us and not in here. Your top priority is what you do to get you put in these situations.”
“That stuck with me, and it pulled at my heartstrings,” William says. He always wanted to love his kids, and he thought he did. But he realized then that to truly love them, his life would need to change.
One day William's 12-year-old son told him something that would change his life.
BECOMING A BARBER
William needed a plan that would help him stay out of prison. While he was behind bars, he started giving haircuts to other residents. Soon, he says he became the best barber in the facility.
When William was paroled, he started barber school, but within two months, he violated parole and went back to prison. After planning to stay out, he so quickly ended up back behind bars.
But William had decided that he was going to be a better father, so he decided that he had to keep going.
When he was released again in 2008, the barber school would not accept him back until a full year passed. He needed to show them that he was serious about staying out of prison.
William didn’t want to sit around and risk returning to his old life, so he decided to work hard at other studies while waiting to start barber school. He earned his associate’s degree from a community college. Then he worked on his bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa, while completing 11 months of barber training.
He went on to work for 10 years at a local barber shop.
A MOBILE BARBER SHOP
In 2017, William had an idea. All the barber shops he knew were brick-and-mortar shops where the customers came in to get their hair cut. But William had several elderly clients who had a hard time getting out.
William started going to clients’ houses to cut their hair, but he ended up accidentally leaving equipment behind, costing him time and money.
Then he realized he could take the whole shop to his customers. He bought a hotel shuttle bus, renovated it, and turned it into a mobile barber shop.
But then William learned that Iowa law prohibited mobile barbershops.
He created a short video and a petition. Soon, he had hundreds of signatures and thousands of views. A national advocacy group got involved and helped William advocate for a change to the state’s law. Eventually, the law was changed.
All the way through this, William was still determined to succeed and to provide for his family. He is now focusing on the brick-and-mortar barber shop he bought this year—the same barber shop he worked at for a decade.
Barbering started as a way to make money without selling drugs. But now, William is passionate about his work as a barber.
“I'm a big brother to a lot of kids,” William says. He enjoys the opportunity to be an inspiration to the people he serves, given his story of transformation. As a barber, he talks with and mentors dozens of customers. He learned the value of mentoring and having someone to look up to while back in prison.
Barbering started as a way to make money without selling drugs. But now, William is passionate about his work as a barber.
MINISTRY THROUGH THE CHURCH
Almost a decade ago, William was cutting hair in Waterloo, and his old friend Quovadis, known as “Q,” came in for a haircut.
Q and William had known each other since they were teenagers and had served time together. But Q had participated in Prison Fellowship Academy®, his life was changed, and when he got out of prison, he went into ministry.
Q told William that he had decided to move back to Waterloo, his hometown, to plant a church, and he asked William to be a part of that effort. William has been an active part of Hope City Church since its very beginning.
Hope City Church works with Prison Fellowship® in local prisons. William has been part of that for years, sharing his story with prisoners and encouraging them with the Gospel. The church has done visits to various prisons where they put on events, spend time with prisoners, and share hope.
William is glad to be experiencing the blessings of that hope. He is still raising his youngest, ably providing for him through hard work and entrepreneurship. William’s oldest son, the one who challenged him all those years ago, is now a minister, and William still considers him a role model.
“[My son is] one of the biggest influences in my life,” William says. “You probably don’t hear many elders say someone younger than them, but my son has been my inspiration since he was like 12, 13 years old.”
Hope City Church works with Prison Fellowship in local prisons. William has been part of that for years, sharing his story with prisoners and encouraging them with the Gospel.
