By Marilynn Winn
Pictured far left
Last week I was invited to talk about 9to5’s “Ban the Box” campaign on the radio station WRFG. The campaign focuses on ending discrimination against people with criminal records. I was nervous, mostly unsure of how I would sound, this being my first time on the radio. After talking for a minute I opened up and it was on!
I initiated the “Ban the Box” campaign because this was one of the biggest barriers I faced when trying to reintegrate into the workforce after being arrested. I feel in my heart this box was put in place to keep people returning to prison after being released. I’m here to tell you we can stop this unfair treatment. People can’t get an interview because of that box, no matter how long it has been since their arrest. I know from experience if you can’t get an interview, you are not going to obtain employment. This is sad.
I hope thousands of people heard about The Ban the Box Movement when I spoke on the radio. Please fight for your rights. No one can fight better than you. It’s you that is being impacted by the box. Most of all we are being discriminated against, when we have to check a box to determine whether we are worthy of employment.
