Marcus Parker, after serving 26 years in prison starting at age 18, is now back in the Lowcountry with a mission to give back to his community. While incarcerated, Parker—originally a student athlete in Ridgeland—used his time to develop tools and strategies aimed at helping at-risk youth. He founded a fraternity called I Kappa Phi within the prison’s college system to mentor young people on character building, education, and crime prevention.
Now released, Parker is working to expand I Kappa Phi as a nonprofit and community fraternity to serve Jasper County and nearby areas. His goal is to help keep young kids from making the same mistakes he made and prevent them from going down a path leading to incarceration.
He also credits the South Carolina Department of Corrections staff for providing the support and opportunities needed to establish I Kappa Phi within the prison college system…