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Google plans to expand a program to help formerly incarcerated people receive job training and skills, pegged to a White House effort aimed at helping people stay out of prison and jail.

On April 15, 2021, CEO held an Inclusive Hiring Corporate Roundtable event where a group of expert panelists took a deep dive into how inclusive hiring creates value for employers.

Jimmy Pizarro did not let poor decisions he made during his youth define his future. Hear why Jimmy credits CEO with his success and why he thinks people should consider the program after they are released from incarceration.

Draxel Clarke knew that he needed to work in order to get his life back on track. CEO’s coaching, training, and job placement services gave him the tools he needed to succeed. Hear why Draxel believes the program can help others.

Malik is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. Originally from New York City, he currently resides in Oakland, California. From a young age, Malik spent time in and out of the justice system, including almost a decade in solitary confinement. Being an independent spirit and a go-getter, Malik forged ahead on his own after his release from incarceration. He encountered the barriers most returning citizens face, including: a lack of employment, lack of support, and a landscape that discriminates against Black men with past convictions.

Charandip is a testament to the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity and create economic independence for himself and his family. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Charandip got into legal trouble when he was very young; trouble that followed him into adulthood. He spent a total of six years in prison at different points in his life and came to CEO in 2020, after his last two-year sentence.

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and our partners launched a Credible Messenger Initiative (CMI) in 2017 as part of a broader strategy to improve services for justice-involved young adults in CEO's NYC workforce development program. The initiative paired young adult participants with full-time mentors who shared similar lived experiences to build trust and connection and to support them throughout their participation in CEO’s program.

As a young girl I often reflected on what Martin Luther King’s contributions were to our world in awe. I was always so intrigued by his influence and the work he did within the community to organize and stand against racism. His ability to persist and be a leader on racial justice at such a pivotal time still evokes emotion in me today. I saw him as a super man with a superpower.

The life and teachings of Dr. King have meant a variety of things to me over the years. I was 6 years old when he was assassinated. While I definitely was too young to fully appreciate the lessons of his life, my understanding grew over time and he has since been a champion and role model for me. I remember sitting in the living room with my mother watching and listening to him on the news and radio. I had yet to experience the intensity of the racism being shown on television. My kinship with the people being attacked by dogs, fire hoses and police fostered an undeniable awareness, fear of and anger towards the “establishment.” Simultaneously, there was an invincible air of hope and promise in Dr. King's booming voice that reassured me. It conveyed a sense that we were going to win. I can still clearly see the knowing glances, genuine smiles and nods being exchanged whenever my family gathered to hear him speak.

"With the challenges and controversies that we are currently facing in society, Martin Luther King Jr. Day allows us to pause and honor one of America's greatest leaders. We are reminded on this day of all the risks, sacrifices, and consequences he faced to inspire us to stand for social justice and equality for all. Dr. King also showed us that making a difference is a team effort. He didn’t just give speeches, he asked people to join him in peaceful demonstrations and service to others. His words and actions help to inspire those struggling for social progress and opened the doors of opportunity for all people. He called us to get involved in something bigger than ourselves."

"8 minutes 46 seconds. CDs. Wrong House Sleeping at home. Kalief Browder. Trayvon Martin. Central Park Five. Malcolm and Martin. Emmett Till. Nat Turner. The captive Africans crammed into the bowels of a slave ship, who communicated through their tears, and committed suicide as an act of rebellion - I carry these ansestors in the roots of my soul. As a Black man, I was never taught how to survive in a land that has oppressed my soul. I feel foreign to the sole of my feet as I walked on soil that was never meant to nourish and grow me. I carry the weight of injustice, but also the initiative to implement change. Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This serves as the blueprint for the work I do today."

Voting became an important issue for me while I was incarcerated at a California State Prison. It became clear to me that the system, which chose to treat me inhumanely and like I was disposable, acquired the power to do so by the public vote. I learned felony disenfranchisement had been a form of voter suppression aimed at black and brown people for over 100 years. Today, I continuously pose the question to myself and others: “If my vote has no power, why have they made it so difficult for me and people like me to exercise our right to vote?”