RONDO BONILLA
From being incarcerated at Rikers Island to leading the movement for criminal justice reform, Rondo Bonilla is breaking barriers and encouraging Gen Z to join him.
As Co-chair of Reform Alliance’s Future Shapers Advisory Committee, Rondo works alongside Gen Z influencers, activists, and athletes to raise awareness about the criminal justice system and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. The committee’s strength lies in its diversity, from including public figures such as the multi-talented Damelio sisters to activists such as United Nations Spokesperson Sophia Kianni and Gen-Z For Change Founder Aidan-Kohn Murphy.
Today, Rondo shares how hygiene shaped his time incarcerated as well as the life-changing connection with Lala Anthony that led him to pursue activism.
Hygiene While Incarcerated
“While I was on Rikers I had a strong outside support system and I also worked in the kitchen so I was receiving 68 dollars a week on my books from work so I never had to worry about shopping. Having access to the good soap in the commissary (dove soap irish spring and other products) honestly was a mood changer, especially coming back from recreation or the peace center a "gaming area in the facility" and being able to put on well-lasting soap that actually has a nice scent and stick on to you will have you feeling like the most handsome guy in the jail and the correctional officers always had more respect for people with good hygiene and in that environment is very hostile so if you don't take care of yourself it is a high possibility that you will get beat up or clowned continuously.
During my first few months incarcerated, the hygiene was horrible and it was only two items you were able to use, and most of the time it was sold out. Maybe 8 months in the the whole entire commissary list changed with eight options of hygiene to choose from the only issue with that was the prices increased as well so the people with no family support or who just couldn't make enough were left out of the loop.
Violence was the answer to almost everything at Rikers. Oh my god if you had bad hygiene? 99% of the time you get one warning to take a shower after that one warning you were put out of the house literally and that never ended well.”
THE JOURNEY TO REFORM ALLIANCE
“I was headed down a bad road but somehow, I got blessed. I was moved to a less violent section of the jail and joined a program called ThreeSixty founded by LaLa Anthony. ThreeSixty prepares men like me to reenter society with a fresh start. I had mentorship and opportunities to tell my story – it was a great feeling. We had a family day and my mom could not visit on family day because on a previous family visit, she and I swapped shoes. Jessica Jackson sat with me on family day and asked: What did I want to do when I got out? What were my hopes for the future?
Without all the love and support from LaLa, I’m not sure I could’ve answered those questions. I was released with a purpose and resources to ensure I’d be successful.
This work is important to me because I am sick and tired of mass incarceration.
Myself, my mom, my grandmother, my grandfather, my first cousins, my closest friends - WE ALL BEEN INCARCERATED and it’s so annoying. I want to be the one in my family in my community to stand up and fight for what is right.”
What do you want to see from Beauty Beyond Bars next?
“I would like to see Dove soap. I say Dove because it smells so good, it makes your skin soft, and it lasts a while. I would also say black soap is very good for the skin and even though the scent is not as strong as Dove it helps fight against smells.”