In 1995, Jerry Blassingame was sentenced to prison for 20 years. Upon release 3 ½ years later, Blassingame founded “Soteria” (a Greek word meaning salvation) to serve those reentering society after incarceration.

In recognition of #SecondChanceMonth, #TheCultureConnect meets Pastor Jerry Blassingame of Greenville, South Carolina, founder and CEO of Soteria Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization addressing the needs of formerly incarcerated people. The Soteria CDC reentry program provides transitional housing, both men and women’s facilities, financial literacy, job training, multiple social enterprises, entrepreneurial opportunities, and discipleship.

In 2023, Jerry was honored for his economic development work alongside former SC Governor Richard Riley by the United Way. Serving as pastor of Soteria Christian Fellowship, author of "Reclaimed", and family man, listen in to this episode as we go on a journey through Jerry’s early childhood in the urban Upstate, his rise as a drug kingpin, his conversion, and how his life was reclaimed.