Credit: Photo via TIME Magazine

Credit: Photo via TIME Magazine
TIME Magazine released its annual list of The 100 Most Influential People in The World; and Executive Director of Florida Right's Restoration Coalition Desmond Meade has been recognized for his efforts in politics and the inspirational story of his rise from homelessness to his presidency of the FRRC. 

The list recognizes activism, innovation and achievement in the world’s most influential individuals.

TIME Editor in Chief Edward Felsenthal said in a recent statement, “The TIME 100 isn’t a measure of power, though many on the list wield it. Nor is it a collection of milestones accumulated. As our staff considers candidates, we often find ourselves wowed by those with stunning lifetime achievements."

During his time at the Florida Right's Restoration Coalition, Meade was an integral part in the 2018 passage of Florida’s Amendment 4, an initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. 

The passage of Amendment 4 is 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.

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This article appears in Apr 11-18, 2019.