From drug dealing and prison to entrepreneur and author, Letitia Scott-Jackson finds God’s grace and forgiveness.

Letitia Scott-Jackson is an author, musician, motivational speaker, and founder of Keeping Families Connected. The unique thing about Letitia’s story is that she’s the daughter of the late Reverend Norvell Scott, an A.M.E. pastor, and she was brought up in a Christian home. You know what they say about preacher kids. The truth is, they are no different from the other kids. They are expected to act and be better because their parents are followers of Jesus. Just because your parents may be, it doesn’t mean you are. You have your own cross to bear, and Letitia’s cross was too heavy for her to carry alone.

“I was fascinated with the drug dealers in my neighborhood; they drove nice, expensive cars and had a lot of money. I wanted to be like that. I didn’t want a regular boyfriend or a preacher for a husband because they were broke. So I started selling drugs. I would sneak out the window at night while my parents were sleeping and sneak back in by the crack of dawn in the morning.”

Letitia became well-known in the community and started making a lot of money. The more money she made, the more addicted she became to making money. Letitia never smoked or drank; her drug of choice was the dollar bill. She became a high-profile drug dealer, and the police were hot on her trail.

“I started selling drugs out of my house; my parents did not know I was doing that. I had hidden some drugs in the backyard. I also hid about 3 kilos of crack in my father’s car that day. Along with that, I had about 5 ounces of crack on me and some powder substance. I didn’t know one of my customers was an undercover cop that I had sold drugs to on three occasions.”

This was the day that changed Letitia’s life forever. The police raided her home, finding the drugs she had hidden in her father’s car. Letitia and her father were arrested. The man of God was heartbroken when he found out what his daughter had been doing.

“My father took the rap for me that day and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Because I was still a teenager, my father did not want me to experience prison life. Even with my father going to prison for me, it did not stop me from selling drugs. I was addicted.”

They say when the devil gets his hands on you, you must shake heaven and earth to get them off. Letitia’s story is a novel, and it will take more than an article to tell it. With that said, to make a long story short, she continued to sell drugs and finally got arrested. Letitia’s father suffered a stroke in prison and died shortly after his release. Her mother died, and she lost her only son in a car accident. When she got out of prison, she got married and started a business. She and her husband were falsely accused of fraud, and they both went to prison. But, through it all and by God’s grace, they prevailed and are helping other people today.

“I have a business called ‘Keeping Families Connected.” I know how important it is to keep families together, which is why I started this business for prison families who have a hard time getting to see their incarcerated loved ones. We pick up these families and take them to visit their loved ones, and we take them to dinner after the visit. I have also written several books, including Where The Real Church Folk At, Grace & Favor: From Prison to Paid Vol. 1, And Come On With Your Money-Making Self. If you would like to know about my business, the website is keepingfamilyconnected.org.”