From the YWCA:
A-B Tech to Host Community-wide Stand Against Racism Event Ban the Box: Promoting Employment Fairness
Asheville – A-B Tech Community College and the YWCA of Asheville are partnering to bring a community-wide Stand Against Racism event to the college from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7 in Ferguson Auditorium on the A-B Tech Asheville campus. The event is free and open to the public.
This year’s event is titled, Ban the Box: Promote Employment Fairness. The event features two panel discussions that explore efforts to remove the box that asks about criminal records from employment applications. Panel one features employers who have voluntarily removed the box in an effort to ensure that individuals who have paid their debt to society are treated fairly. Panel two features resource providers that help formerly incarcerated individuals find gainful employment and success stories from individuals who were hired despite having a criminal record.
Panel one will feature:
· Dorian Dehnel, Criminal Record Check.com, Vice President
· Kelley Dickens, City of Asheville, Human Resources Director
· Sheila Meadows, Mission Health Systems, Vice President of Human Resources
· Kaye Waugh, A-B Tech, Vice President of Human ResourcesPanel two will feature:
· Brent Bailey, Buncombe County Reentry Council, Coordinator
· Philip Cooper, A-B Tech, Administrative Assistant , Student Counseling
· Vanessa James, NC Dept. of Commerce, Regional Former Offender Specialist
· Dana Bartlett, Goodwill Re-Entry Program, Project Re-entry CoordinatorDr. Joseph Fox, coordinator of the WNC Diversity Engagement Coalition, will serve as moderator for panel one and Stephen Smith, creator of the Prison Reentry Roundtable, will serve as moderator for panel two. Relevant community organizations will have tables in the lobby throughout the event to provide information and literature on the resources they provide. Light refreshments will be provided by Mission Health.
The YWCA Empowerment Child Care Center will provide free childcare at the YWCA on S. French Broad Avenue for parents attending this event. To make a reservation, contact Gerry Leonard, Volunteer and Racial Justice Coordinator, at 254-7206, ext. 219 or at gleonard@ywcaofasheville.org.
About A-B Tech
One of 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, A-B Tech offers associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in more 50 curriculum programs through its five academic divisions: Allied Health and Public Service Education, Arts and Sciences, Business and Hospitality Education, Emergency Services and Engineering and Applied Technology. The Division of Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education offers opportunities for workforce partnerships, specific job training and retraining, as well as personal enrichment classes. A-B Tech enrolls more than 25,000 curriculum and continuing education students in programs at its Asheville, Enka, Madison, South, Woodfin and Goodwill locations.
About Stand Against Racism
Stand Against Racism is a signature campaign of YWCA USA to build community among those who work for racial justice and to raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities. This campaign is one part a larger national strategy to fulfill the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism.
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