Desmond Meade is Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He led the historic victory of Florida Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with previous felony convictions, the largest expansion of voting rights in a half-century. The grassroots citizen initiative won by nearly 65 percent of the vote - and as Desmond says, “won with love.” Desmond Meade is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a Ford Foundation Global Fellow, one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Desmond Meade has constitutionalized grace. When Desmond and his team would knock on the door of a voter, they would open with this question: “Has anyone you love ever made a mistake?”
“Nothing speaks more to citizenship than voting...for our kids...it brings us together because we're talking about participating in a shared dream of democracy...at its core are 3 famous words: We. The. People."
“Going into communities and engaging people—not in a transactional manner but a relational manner — we can tap into deep desires among people to be part of democracy.”
Passing Florida’s Constitutional Amendment "was about forgiveness, restoration, and love."
Voting is an act of humanity, not politics. "Voting says I AM."
"We got people to vote...not based on fear but based on love...along the lines of humanity."
“We can move the masses, in spite of the efforts to suppress their votes...There are operatives against us - but there are more of us!”
"If I’m only fighting for you because I need you to vote for my party, I’m not fighting for you. And I’m certainly not fighting for us......regardless of whether you agree, I need you to participate in the process."
"It takes someone who has lost the right to vote...we don't scare easy so we're fighting back…engage in conversations.”
Desmond Meade is a transformational leader whose commitment to justice has impacted millions. Meade is the president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) and chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy. His efforts to uplift humanity has consistently earned him national and international acclaim. Meade is a Ford Global Fellow, a 2021 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and was recognized in 2019 as one of Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People in the World, and twice published author.
As President and Executive Director of the FRRC, Meade led the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida. Under his leadership FRRC was distinguished in 2023 by being nominated for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.
A graduate of Florida International University College of Law, Meade also holds Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Bard College and Duke University. He presently leads efforts to empower and civically re-engage local communities across the nation in a way that promotes love and empathy. Using his inspiring journey of overcoming incarceration, homelessness, and substance abuse, he works tirelessly to reshape local, state, and national criminal justice policies and create a more vibrant democracy for all. Among many other accolades, Desmond’s efforts have resulted in him earning him the distinction in 2019 as Floridian and Central Floridian of the Year, and being recognized as a Hero by CNN, and as one of the 40 most influential people in politics by Politico.
A well sought after speaker, Desmond’s appearances on CNN, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, and Fox TV demonstrates his ability to appeal to and inspire people from all walks of life.
Meade is married to Sheena Meade, who leads the Clean Slate Initiative. Together, they are reshaping policies to allow people with prior records the ability to live with purpose, dignity, and power.
Photo Credit: Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
Photo Credit: MacArthur Foundation
