This research examines the population of formerly incarcerated people as activists in the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Persons Movement. Applying a Personal Authority Framework, this work examines the role of race within organizing, the limitations of the voices of formerly incarcerated people, the role of the ally within the movement, the power that formerly incarcerated people do have and how they use it, and the necessary aspects and attributes of a movement. I conducted fourteen in depth interviews with formerly incarcerated individuals and their allies, all of which self-identified as activists. Given that the prison populations in the United States is the highest in the world, as is the populations of formerly incarcerated people, this work demonstrates the important role of activism in their lives and the importance of their personal stories and authority for an activist movement to be successful.