By: T.M. Gray
Anqua describes growing up in Detroit, Michigan, as the oldest of three siblings. He remembers watching his single mother work constantly to provide, getting the family where they needed to go, mostly by public transportation. Sometimes, they had access to personal vehicles. It is no understatement to say that his mother’s tenacity was his greatest inspiration.
Influenced by those early experiences struggling with transportation, Anqua developed a fascination with cars. He imagined a life that would somehow include them. From a young age, he kept a collection of tiny automobiles that he still cherishes today. He ultimately knew that if he built a life around his fascination, he would discover the stability he sought. He wasn't sure of what that future looked like. Who ever does? However, if it involved a motor vehicle, he was interested. Even if it meant having a job washing them.
Anqua has always been energetic and fun to be around; his friends describe him as a comedian. His younger children mainly call him Dad. Anqua admits the relationship has been more complicated. His incarceration kept him away during years that cannot simply be returned, and rebuilding those relationships has become another part of coming home.
Determined to be the positive role model he saw in his own mother, Anqua made a decision: as his children prepared to go back to school, he would do the same.
Recognizing the parallel happening in his household, Anqua’s next steps became clear. As his youngest navigated their own educational journeys, Anqua decided to improve his employment prospects by enrolling in a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program. Detroit Recovery Project paid for the training, and in four weeks, Anqua completed his advanced certification and earned a credential that could open access to a new field of work.
For Anqua, returning to the classroom was about more than gaining a vocational qualification. While his school-aged children were in school, he could journey right alongside them as he pursued greater stability for their family.
That alignment is vital in reentry. Research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (ASPE) in Incarceration and the Family emphasizes that while incarceration places immense strain on parent-child bonds, actively rebuilding those connections offers crucial support during transition. While vocational credentials can strengthen employment prospects, Anqua's true value was demonstrating resilience directly to his children—even as conviction-related barriers persist.
Anqua’s journey did not stop with earning his CDL.
When he returned home, he held tightly to an informational packet he received before release that outlined programs designed to help returning citizens. That information eventually helped connect him with the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO).
Through CEO, Anqua gained access to immediate transitional employment and employment services. He began working at a local recycling facility, and his work ethic quickly stood out.
Within approximately two months, Anqua earned Employee of the Month honors. The recognition extended beyond CEO: supervisors at the facility had seen his work firsthand.
For a man still trying to convince employers to look beyond his record, someone recognizing the quality of his work meant something.
Anqua says having people believe in him helps.
“You can do anything,” Anqua tells his children. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”
His circumstances let them see that lesson unfold in real time.
Anqua has earned his CDL. He has demonstrated his ability to work. What he has not yet found is the permanent position he is seeking.
He continues submitting applications and working to refine his résumé with support from the CEO. He believes his record may have contributed to some of the stigma he has encountered, but he has not stopped applying.
His message to others navigating reentry reflects that reality:
“Don’t get discouraged.”
Something important in Anqua’s story is happening before the permanent job arrives.
His children now get to watch the vocational training go to work in real time as their father keeps building his skills. They have seen their father go back to school, complete his CDL schooling, and earn recognition for his work. They also see his tenacity, perseverance, and resourcefulness.
Years ago, he watched a single mother keep moving, using whatever transportation was available and working to provide for three children.
Today, Anqua landed a permanent position as a truck driver, his positive mindset and decision to pursue advanced credentials quickly paying off.
And this time, his children are in the passenger seat, watching him drive them forward.
