Burris, 33, was born in Taycheedah women’s prison on June 19 — Juneteenth. Her great-grandmother, Alline Atkins, became her caregiver when she was three days old.
An elementary school teacher told Burris about the historical importance of her birthday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. Burris liked how her birthday equated to freedom.
“I think because of that I always was a bit of a rebel,” she said.
Around age 6, Burris said, she was “snatched out of school and taken to some strange building and basically told I’m never going home again.” She’s still, to this day, unsure why she was placed into the foster care system.
Burris reunited with her mom at age 13 but was kicked out of the house a couple of years later. She dropped out of high school after sophomore year.