Kiyan Anthony’s mom La La Anthony shares snaps from special Christmas spent towards prison reform

Kiyan Anthony’s mother La La Anthony has been working with the inmates at Rikers Island through the initiative “ThreeSixty.” The program provides mentorship and life coaching, legal services and re-entry tools to incarcerated young men between the ages of ages 18 and 21 years old.

This year, she celebrated Christmas with the young men from the program. On Thursday, Anthony shared pictures of her at Rikers and wrote:

"Christmas/Family Day at Rikers with the guys from THREESIXTY was perfect. So much to be thankful for."

Anthony with the inmates at Rikers Island (Credits: Instagram/@lala)

In the photos, La La is seen interacting with a couple of the men from the program. She had her hand on one's shoulder as she talked with him.

In an interview with PEOPLE in March 2024, Anthony explained her decision to work with young people and it had to do with her being a mother to a teenager.

"At this age, they are still so young," she said. "When you talk to them, especially if you have your own kids, you just become so much more compassionate. It feels like any one of our kids could be one bad decision away from being in a similar situation."

La La Anthony also shared one of the success stories of the program, with a former inmate going on to study in an Ivy League school.

"Just recently, one of the kids in my program, who was released not even a little over a year ago, got a full scholarship to Columbia University," she said. "It's really amazing to see that when you take them out of jail and put them in the right environment, with the right opportunities and love and support, incredible things can happen."

La La Anthony receives special honor from New York City for her charity work

The NYC Department of Youth & Community Development renamed a block in the city as the 'La La Anthony Lane' at the 9th Annual "Million Dollar Giveback" Christmas Event on Dec. 20. The special honor was in recognition of Anthony's work with the inmates at Rikers Island.

9th Annual "Million Dollar Giveback" Christmas Event - Source: Getty

La La Anthony has been spreading the holiday cheer this Christmas with her charitable acts as she also hosted her 7th annual Winter Wonderland event. The evening saw around 400 children from the inner city participate in games and receive gifts and a special holiday dinner. Kiyan Anthony was also present at the event and gave away a PlayStation.

With the new year, La La Anthony is also preparing to send off her son to college as he will be playing basketball with the Syracuse Orange, just like his father Carmelo Anthony did in 2002.