WASHINGTON — Dozens of ex-cons, clergy and civil rights leaders rallied in front of the White House Thursday to demand that President Barack Obama issue an executive order to require fair hiring practices for job applicants with criminal histories.
The “Ban the Box” movement wants to persuade employers to remove the portion of a job application that asks if applicants have a criminal record.
Tiffany Johnson of Los Angeles, California served 16 years in prison. Having done her time, she wants to have the same opportunities as others. “I have a life. Now I’m out and I want to live that life, but I run into all these barriers that prevent me from being the best me, and I’m tired of it…” said Johnson in an interview.
The campaign to ban the box began in 2004 in an effort to raise awareness about the discrimination that formerly incarcerated individuals typically face.
“I had the skills, I had the knowledge, I had the ambition to do a lot and I want to work, but that was never available to me,” said Steve Huerta of San Antonio, Texas, “for some reason, people just weren’t giving me the opportunity to work.”
According to the campaign’s website, 45 cities and counties across the country have already removed the check box from application forms that ask whether an individual has been convicted of a crime. But the demonstrators last week wanted an immediate Ban the Box order for federal jobs.
“We have a voice and we do matter,” said Johnson.