Lashonia and Sean Sean and Lashonia hold hands in the car while he drives her to work. Sean reassures Lashonia on the night before a job interview saying, “You are the most intelligent person I know.” Lashonia has since accepted the position as co-director of the DC Cure the Streets program. Lashonia and her best friend, Diane “Mama” Twyman, leave for Spanky’s birthday party. While in prison, Diane became a maternal figure to Lashonia and some other women, encouraging them to take classes and make the most of their time in prison. Her support and guidance earned her the nickname “Mama”. Lashonia does her hair in preparation for her friend Spanky’s 50th birthday party. Lashonia and Spanky met while serving time in federal prison. Washington, DC - Community members gather to remember the life of Clarence Venerable, a new Cure the Streets “violence interrupter” who was shot while leaving a training session last Friday, November 22. The shooting response was held in the location of the shooting, in front of the Cure the Streets office and Alliance of Concerned Men building on November 25, 2019. (Hadley Chittum). Lashonia Thompson-El practices yoga in her home in South east DC. She attributes exercise and yoga as one of the reason’s she stayed sane while incarcerated. Sean and Lashonia embrace one night in their home before bed time. The couple recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary. Thirty years of sleeping on a prison bed gave Sean chronic back pain. Lashonia frequently walks on his back and gives massages to ease his discomfort. Sean stands over Lashonia while she eats the dinner he made her. The couple rarely eats dinner together as a result of their time in prison, a place where meals are not seen as a shared experience.
