This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years, and now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. I turned off news altogether.
I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we can calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting.
Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. and BC News reporting for America. Uh This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. What's up y'all? Summer's got a different tempo.
Everything's a little looser, brighter. One plan turns into another. You hear something, you stay a little longer.
Next thing you know, you're somewhere you didn't plan to be. It's those in between moments. That's where the ideas hit. conversations stretch out, little memories sneak up on you.
Sometimes it's just about what's in your hand. that color. That chill. a new tropical butterfly refresher from Starbucks. guava and passion fruit flavors with mango pineapple flavored pearls.
Yeah. That feels like summer before you even taste it. Funny how one small stop becomes the best part of the day. Start your summer rhythm. with Starbucks.
Try the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks. This is our American Stories, and now it's time for our Opportunity America series that's sponsored. By Coke Industries. Today, we hear the story of Gwen Boyd Willis and how Coke Industries helped her get a second chance. Here's Robbie with the story.
Um Gwen Boyd Willis was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. My mother, naive. Mitchell and my father name was Ernest Boyd. And I lost my father at five years old. He got killed in the automobile accident.
So I was raised in a single parent house. Though life had started out a little harder than it does for most, Gwen found that with a little hard work, she would find success. I was an all-American in basketball. I was a state champion in track and field. I had scholarship officers all over, but I wasn't able to go because my mother was sickly.
So I had to stay home and take care of her. and I work at University of West Georgia College. as an assistant chef to about 2005, that's when I got in trouble. I went to the ATM machine one night with a friend of mine. And when I walked up to the ATM machine, it said, Would you like another transaction?
So I was like, ugh. Got money out the machine and I took the ATM card and I went shopping with the card.
So maybe a month went by.
Some detectives showed up at my door. Yeah. My mom came and she was like, it's two detectives here to see you. My stomach just dropped. You know, I was like, oh, they got me, you know.
So I went to the door. I told my mom I was going with them.
So I was sitting in the back seat of the car as we were driving to the Police station. And And I said, Lord, Um Do I tell the truth? And the Holy Spirit said, tell the truth. Uh So by the time we got to the police department, before he even said anything, I said I did it. I just I just I did it like that.
And I'm so glad that I Listen to the Holy Spirit and Because of my honesty, I had nine charges that they had against me. Because of my honesty, they dropped. five of my charges. Yeah. And when I went to court But my charges I went in one courtroom and uh They did not have enough beds.
So, you know, you're supposed to go to jail right away. The judge said, um, well, we don't have enough beds.
So You can stay, they let they allow me to stay out of jail and turn myself in in August.
So I was allowed to be out for eight months because they didn't have a bed. For eight months, how I was just preparing myself, like, oh, I got to turn myself in in August. To go do time at the Women's Detention Center, I had to do four months, 120 days. Plus the head gave me 10 years probation.
So That day came. And I went. And my time in the women's detention center, man, what a place. I call it the jungle. maybe like fifty women in one room.
It's a big room with bump beds. You don't have any privacy. But I Remember before I went? The night before I left, my grandmother, she told me, she said, Gwendelle, you know the real reason you're going down there. I said, no, I don't.
She said, you're going to do missionary work for the Lord. And I just, you know, just Sugar off like okay grandma Yeah. Lo and behold, exactly when I got in there, I was ministering to the women. They had me singing all the time. One of the correctional officers, she was a very mean-spirited lady, very angry.
Biller. And I made her. My assignment. before I left uh And every day when I would pass through the line, you know, we get our food. I will speak.
I'll come around and I said hello officer so-and-so. And I would say something nice and kind. As I started out, she wouldn't speak. Eventually, when she started talking to me, She had a sick Child at home.
So she was dealing with that and eventually and I was like, well, you know, I prayed for your daughter today. I was asked how her daughter was doing. Eventually she was thought she was talking and people was like wow she talks to you Uh I remember the night Um before I left, she came and pulled me out to talk to me and she thanked me. For taking the time at least talk to her Then my time came home. I was at home, I was like, so what am I gonna do now?
I got a call at the Blue. from this lady from Westwood College. And she was just giving me this whole talk: you wanna go to school? And this, that, and the third. And I was like, I can't go to school.
I don't have any money for that. She was like, I can get you in school. She came to the house and We did my application and everything and I ended up going to Westwood College. to major in criminal justice administration. but despite putting the work in to complete her bachelor's degree, she found that her criminal record, was holding her back.
Every job I applied to They would see that, you know, I have this fabulous resume. But When they check my background check, we'll come back with the felonies on it. And that was a lot that was disappointment. You know, doom and gloom and I can't tell you how many tears I cried because I was passed over from some great jobs. Even recently, as last year, um, I had applied to the Fulton County Detention Center.
to be a a counselor there and went through the interviews with about two interviews and um They hired me. They were just waiting for my background check to come back and I was honest and I told the lady, you know, Hey, I have this on my record, but I'm in the uh process of getting my my record pardon. I'm waiting to hear back from a judge. And she was like, well, we'll just wait and see.
So when my record came back, she was like, we can't hire you because you have this on your record. But she did encourage me to come back and apply again once I got a pardon.
So yeah. I apply for various jobs and that having their record Having those felonies on my record stopped me from getting hired. Gwen knew she wasn't who her record said she was. She was determined to get her record pardoned. And she went through the process twice.
all on her own. This happened back in 2005, you know. It had been sitting there all this time. I'm not that person anymore. I'm a totally different person from back then, you know.
So. The first time I tried I Was gathering the paperwork. It was like. trying to pull the tooth because It was like I didn't get no acknowledgement. It was like I didn't get no respect.
You know, it's like They don't, it feels like they don't care when you're trying to do it on your own. I d I paid the monies, you got to pay all these fees. And I applied And I Um Place a no. I want you waiting four to six months for an answer to come back.
So I went through that twice, and it came back, and it was like, no. Mm-mm. You don't meet the qualifications for a pardon.
So I had talked to a friend of mine who was the Fulland County Deputy Sheriff. He was like, Gwen, you're going to have to get a lawyer. No doubt. Gwen Willis's record did not reflect her heart. Her spirit, or what she could do out in the world.
When we come back, more of our Opportunity America series. Gwen Willis's story here. on our American stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years.
And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q.
That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks.
Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. Flowers fade. Cards get tossed. But a personalized song? That lasts forever.
Surprise someone you love with a custom song made just for them with Joybox. Visit joybox.studio to get started on your personalized song today. Don't just say I love you, sing it with Joybox. The following ad is sponsored by PetsBest Insurance Services. You knew right away he's perfect.
The one for you. Those puppy dog eyes, that cute little button nose. You don't even mind the drool. When you find your perfect match in a dog or cat, the love is unconditional. Your budget, on the other hand, has realistic limits.
Help protect your heart and your wallet with pet insurance from PetsBest. With plans starting from less than a dollar a day, you can get up to 90% cash back on eligible vet bills. PetsBest makes it easy to pick a plan that works for you and your bank account. Find the perfect match for your perfect match at PetsBest.com. Pet Insurance products offered and administered by PetsBest Insurance Services, LLC, are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company or Independence American Insurance Company.
Terms and conditions, visit www.petsbest.com backslash policy. Products are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, Independence American Insurance Company, or MS Transverse Insurance Company, and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services LLC. $1 day premium based on 2024 average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans, pets aged 0 to 10. And we're back with our American stories and the story of Gwen Boyd Willis, part of our Opportunity America series. When we last left off, Gwen had applied for multiple jobs, but because of her criminal record, something she'd done 15 years ago.
She faced rejection upon rejection. She then tried twice on her own to get her record pardoned, and was rejected twice. Here's Robbie. with the rest of the story. Little did Gwen know that help would come from a very unlikely place.
a pulp and paper company. called Georgia Pacific. Mm-hmm. My name is Michael Davis. I'm the Assistant General Counsel at Georgia Pacific.
I'm based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Coke Industries, which is the larger company of which Georgia Pacific is one part, has a fairly extensive pro bono. Practice. Georgia Justice was one of the groups that was identified as doing work that we were supportive of. You know, a big part of this effort was the company saying, we're okay with you taking time to go work on these pro bono efforts.
Georgia Justice actually came over to the GP Center. Part of what they do is to assist. people who have served their time with getting getting a pardon.
So I said that's what I'd like to do and that's they then went over and met my client Gwen. Uh The Georgia Justice Project. When you go for an initial interview, You go in with about thirty other people. And they go through, it's like a training course where they explain and show everything that they do to help you along with the process. But you had to be selected out of those 30 people.
I was selected out of those thirty people. They chose my case. Mm. We will meet up in the conference room and Yeah. Before we even would get started, On my case, you know, he would sit and talk to me, ask questions about me, you know.
He was wanna know how's my health and how's my family. He showed how he was really concerned. You know, it wasn't so much as, oh, we're gonna jump right in here, I'm gonna get you in to get you out. People don't have to do nothing for you, you know, and Um, even though he was doing the pro bono, it just let me know that This man is really interested, not in just my case, but he interested in what's going on in my life. It was probably anywhere between, I'd say, 40 and 50 hours collectively.
I mean, it it doesn't sound like a lot, but it's, you know, you're... It's an hour here, an hour there. I got to know her, got her background, and we were both sort of learning as we went. about what needed to be done. She was.
Her story was absolutely fascinating. Had made a mistake as a young person when she was confronted when the police came to her. She acknowledged what she'd done. She took responsibility for it. And just an amazing, amazing story about how much work she put into her education and trying to get her life back on track.
She was really struggling, but she kept at it. I mean, she's just a very determined person. That certainly came through and talking to her and then seeing everything that she had done.
So we um then began to pull together all of the documentation. That was necessary for the pardon application. Gwen is so determined that it made my job very easy because I would say, Gwen, we need to have this document or that document. And she would go get it and produce it. I talked to the board, got an investigator assigned to her case.
They then conducted the investigation and they finally got through with their investigation and let her know in August. that she had in fact received her um her pardon. Man, yes. I um I actually went went to Bible study. that you know, small gathering of people.
And I came home. And and I took my dog out that night and went to the mail box. I saw that it was a letter from the Georgia, the state of Georgia.
So I came back in the house. I was nervous. I was like, oh. I didn't know what it was, but I still was nervous.
So I sat down and I opened it. And when I opened it, I saw that it was these big old leathers and black bowl leathers that said pardon. I didn't even read the paper. I just saw that I got my part. I just saw that.
That was it. the big bowl leathers imparting, and I just sat there And I was crying. Oh, I cried. I mean, I cried hard. Tears.
From my heart. But they were tears of joy. And you know, it's just as I sat there, I began to think about everything I had on went through. All the no's from jobs I thought about Uh Yeah. Just Mm.
You know, having a record, a stigma comes with it.
So people autom automatically look at you in a negative way. And it felt like a burden was lifted off of me. A weight was lifted off of me. I mean How how free I got a new clean slate. And then I began to read what it said.
It's just the wording. of of the parting. I mean, it's so amazing. You know, everything has been Re It stabbed this back to me that was taken away from me. You know, everything has been forgiven, you know.
My record has been forgiven. And that there's just. I was so elated. I just lost for words, you know. Just.
When I met with her here. I mean she was I won't say she was a changed person, but you could just tell a weight had been lifted. from her shoulders. She just had She was excited at the possibilities that were now in front of her. You don't know much.
Stop. Hallelujah.
Okay. Dangers I've been through you. You don't know my pain of what I had to endure to get here. You don't know my struggles. Don't try to figure them out because my worship, my worship.
Worship is for real. You wouldn't have expected that, huh? Yeah. And no, we were not expecting that. You were listening to a joyful and triumphant.
Gwen Willis. People don't have to do nothing for you, Gwen said. I was forgiven. I was so elated. I was lost of words and And then she sang that song for us.
We know your struggles, Gwen. We do. And we love you for how you dealt with them and endured them. that laugh, my goodness, we all wish we had one like that. But we can't make it up.
That's real. That's you. And thank you for sharing. All that you shared. Thank you, Robbie, for the great job you did on this.
Thank you to the folks at Georgia Pacific, and of course. The folks at Coke Industries. More than 65,000 people across America are employed by Coke. and there's a good chance that their work intersects with your own story. in some way.
The great folks at Coke make products that help improve medical devices, consumer electronics, vehicle safety. Fabrics for clothing, filtration for clean water, and innovations for popular household brands. In the process, they're creating jobs and opening paths to opportunity for everyone to create their own American story, to learn more about Koch's incredible work. Go to Coke. I N D.com.
That's K O C H. Ind.com. Gwen Willis's story, a part of our Opportunity America series here. On our American stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans.
It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues.
Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history.
It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. Flowers fade. Cards get tossed. But a personalized song?
That lasts forever. Surprise someone you love with a custom song made just for them with Joybox. Visit joybox.studio to get started on your personalized song today. Don't just say I love you. Sing it with Joybox.
What's up, cousin? I want a new phone. Have you seen any good deals? Everyone has free phones, but when I switched to T-Mobile, I got more value and so much more. Nice streaming included.
And travel benefits. And the best part: the price of your talk, text, and data is guaranteed for five years. Get more benefits and more value. At T-Mobile, Family Save and get a five-year price guarantee. Switch now at T-Mobile.com.
Qualifying player requires the price guarantee on top tax and data exclusions like taxes and fees apply, ctmobile.com.
