The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has taken on an ambitious project to get every state in America that has not already initiated a Ban the Box law, to do so. Ban the Box is a phrase used to describe the elimination of a box on job applications that asks applicants to check “yes” or “no” to the question “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” Checking “yes” often means that a job seeker is automatically eliminated for consideration. (see Reentry Central news article Sixty-Five Million Americans with Criminal History Shunned by Employers 3/28/11) In Philadelphia the Ban the Box bill was sponsored by Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller.
Celebrating in Philadelphia on April 18, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous joined other NAACP dignitaries and community activists as Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter signed into law the Ban the Box bill. Recognizing that Philadelphia citizens with a criminal history deserve a second chance, Nutter declared that having stable employment improves public safety.
Jealous will send a letter to all 50 governors, as well as municipalities, asking them to remove the stigmatizing box from state employment applications. The NAACP was instrumental in getting former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pass the Ban the Box law on state job application.
Speaking about the benefits of the new law, Jealous stated, “Formerly incarcerated people in Philadelphia will now be given a second chance at success. This bill will help the city build strong, stable communities. People hired as a result of this policy will be able to contribute to society as workers and as taxpayers. They will be able to reunite with children sent to foster care, and remain by their side.”
The NAACP continues to reach out to large corporations to encourage them to rethink their employment policies that bar those with a criminal history from being hired.
Source: NAACP
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