from the desk of a JJ counselor

I am a patron of Hair Cuttery. I find it to be affordable, convenient, efficient, and they offer the best head massages when they shampoo my hair. oh my gosh. I'll get my hair cut JUST for the head massage! now, there's nothing super special about Hair Cuttery - it's just that they're cheap, do a decent job, and I don't want to spend gobs of money when my hair doesn't really need a super precise stylist. all this being said, my enthusiasm has been tempered a bit by a couple of recent articles from the Washington Post. they're causing me to re-think my de-facto loyalty to the company.

Michelle Singletary wrote an article last week that highlighted the story of one woman (K. Brown) from Baltimore. This last weekend, she followed up on that first article with this piece. The gist? Ms. Brown has experienced what countless Jubilee Jobs applicants face every day. Ms. Brown is an ex-offender. meaning six years ago she did something she now regrets and has spent these last six years incarcerated. Ms. Brown was looking for a job upon her release; she had skills as a stylist and was looking in that field. She interviewed with Hair Cuttery and was very up-front about her past charges. the managers decided to give her a second chance (bravo). Enter Ms. Singletary, the reporter, who was working on an article related to the challenges of ex-offenders upon their release - the financial pressures, the barriers to employment, etc. When Ms. Brown asked her superiors for permission to get her picture taken for the article working with a customer, she was fired. The company claims that HR up top never knew about Ms. Brown's charge, and they have a strict "no felony" policy - so she got the boot once they became aware.

Now here's the thing. I get it that companies "need to be careful" about who they hire. it makes sense in some cases. you wouldn't want people who have harmed children to be working at a school or in a daycare. you wouldn't want someone who had a DUI to be bar-tending right away. but I have seen enough people come through Jubilee Jobs to say strongly - these blanket corporate policies are not helpful!

Take Ms. Brown, for example. She had a significant charge, yes, but she also had 6 years to contemplate her life, and upon [early] release (probably for positive steps while incarcerated), she took steps to develop her interests, and she got certified in cosmetology. we tell Jubilee folks that the key to getting ahead and out of poverty is to pursue more skills/training/education. Ms. Brown did that and then looked for jobs that made sense. She disclosed the details surrounding her situation to the relevant managers at the Hair Cuttery. at this point, those managers discerned that she was worth "the risk". through her honesty, her pursuit of extra training, and her apparent eagerness to distinguish herself from her past, they employed her. bravo.

as a result of the unfortunate dismissal post-Post article, there has been an outpouring of support for Ms. Brown. people have written letters of disapproval to Hair Cuttery, and many have said they will no longer patronize the shops. This is heartening. it shows that if "the public" were aware of some of the broad-sweeping barriers that ex-offenders face, there may be even more groundswell to say - no, this isn't fair. people shouldn't be eternally punished for the bad choices/wrong decisions/terrible circumstances they once found themselves or made.

yes, employers should exhibit wisdom when assessing a candidate, but no - not all criminal histories are relevant to the job search - especially entry-level, lower-skill jobs that are critical to establishing a citizen's stability on re-entry. if an ex-offender can't even get into an entry-level job because of broad from-the-top statements excluding anyone with a felony, or anyone with any type of criminal charge, then what is keeping them from re-offending? Don't even get me started on the way we sentence people, the state of our prisons, and the prison-industrial complex! That is entirely too much for this posting. suffice it to say - people with records need to be re-acclimated into society, and we are not going to get well-adjusted folks post-incarceration if they can't land a job that will begin to stabilize their lives. the Hair Cuttery was likely not a super-well-paying job. But Ms. Brown was there for 7 straight months without any complaint. her foot-in-the-door is so important to building more hours, more wages, and eventually getting more opportunities to move towards a living wage (minimum wage is so far below a living wage it's pathetic).

let us not become like the folks of Les Miserables or The Scarlet Letter - handing out golden-rod passports or scarlet letter 'A's to people we deem as on the outside -- I guess in our society it looks more like that small pernicious box "check here if you have ever been convicted of a crime"...may we move towards more restorative responses to people who have made mistakes, acted out of stupidity or violence, and who are now in a much different place, wanting to provide for their families and begin a new chapter.

trust

a poem that found me in my silent retreat:

"Trust in the Slow Work of God"

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown,
something new.
Yet it is the law of all progress that is made
by passing through some stages of instability
and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Do not try to force them on
as though you could be today what time
- that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will -
will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new Spirit
gradually forming in you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.

~Pierre Teihard de Chardin

a picture of perseverance

this last week was hectic at work for a variety of reasons. we didn't host orientation, so that allowed for a different rhythm, but it still filled up with appointments, meetings, and some abnormal out of the office visits. Friday was a mixture of productivity and oh-my-gosh-can-this-day-just-end-ness, when I got the call.

"Robert" got a job. He had just gotten out of the interview and he will start on Monday. ... !! What? That's GREAT Robert! Here's why it's great:

rewind back to March 2009 when I first met Robert. first impressions showed an earnest job seeker who always carried his shoulder bag that contained several folders with copies of his resume, cover letter, and summary of qualifications. the bag also held his spiral notebook where he recorded his job searches: he taped business cards next to dates of when he applied to where, and he wrote notes on when he should follow up. "I always take 2 applications" he told me with a smile. That way, if he messed one up, he had backup, or, if he hadn't heard back, he could re-submit his 2nd application (therefore increasing his name-visibility). I had not met many applicants who were as prepared and noticeably organized as Robert.

Robert's outward appearance was presentable, but not sharp. He wore black jeans with a button-down that, while not always starchy, was never dirty. His demeanor could have been called reserved or timid, but after any sort of conversation with him, he projected an endearing gentleness and optimism that I believed would attract potential employers.

Robert was prepared, presentable, and seemingly had the energy to take on the terrible economy. He also had relevant food service experience and only a minor offense on his criminal history. In his first week or 2 of searching, Robert landed a job at a dinner theater. Unfortunately, he skipped his 2nd day on the job because he suffered from a foot injury and went to the hospital instead. Even with hospital papers, the new employer didn't want the hassle. For 3.5 months, I worked with Robert after his foot fiasco. Finally, due to pressure from the director to "file" those applicants who we'd been keeping for more than 8 weeks, I had to tell Robert that we couldn't work together any longer. Momentum had been lost, things weren't working out, but if he wanted to return to the beginning of our process at any time, we were there.

In November 2009, Robert came back through the orientation process. He was still using his friend's cell phone, (meaning we couldn't have direct access, nor could employers) and while he still looked presentable, he was still not sharp. I worked with Robert for another 3 months, sending him on possibilities, applications, and some interviews. Discouragement was setting in and I was at a loss as to why he wasn't getting hired. In February, I had to file him because he missed his 2nd important interview - this time with a program that would have trained him further and assisted him after the training in job placement - and we have a 2-miss policy.

In March 2010, I saw Robert come through orientation once again. But this time something was different. Over the weeks that followed, I learned that Robert had increased the network of services he was taking advantage of. He had checked into a home that serves as a short-term retreat/respite for those struggling with anxiety. He had case management and was meeting regularly with professionals in the mental health field. He received several sharp-looking button down shirts, a few nice ties, and dark slacks. His glasses were fixed. He was being cared for on a number of levels, and his entire spirit was different - lighter. It seemed that unseen barriers had been removed and he was ready; ready to take on the job market filled with more confidence and a renewed sense of hope. I helped him get a cell phone that he qualifies for; it has limited minutes but was a direct line - no more leaving messages with his friend Bill!

Did he get the job right away? No! I returned to my questions - why hasn't he gotten hired? He had some promising interviews in April, in May, in June, in July...when would it end? How come his persistence, his preparation, his community of support, his diligence - had not paid off? Despite the new factors that contributed to his support, the reality was that Robert was still homeless, and it's hard for me to assess the emotional/spiritual/physical toll that sleeping in a shelter night after night has on a person. He also still had that misdemeanor (= lesser charge than a felony) from 2008, so it was keeping him from positions he was qualified for except for the background check. Do employers care about his arrest story and the situation that surrounded the altercation as he was shopping at the grocery store? Not likely. More likely they "get to the bottom line" - see his charge, assume the worst, and don't give it a second thought.

The beginning of August saw some light at the end of the tunnel. Robert got a call-back (a positive golden ticket) from a bagel place he had applied to in May. They brought him in for an interview and the manager began raving about his resume. "I don't want you just for crew - I want you for shift supervisor!" Wow. That would be great! Full-time, better pay, possibility of benefits. He had to meet with the General Manager. His impression (favorable) was different than hers (as I found after my conversation with her). Still, the GM had no problem with Robert joining as a crew member. At this point, we'd take anything. Part time, full time, whatever can to get him in the door.

Robert also got a call-back from a program that he had been on the waiting list for over a year. It's a temp job lasting 6 months with the potential of a permanent job after that. I advised him that Part-time Permanent was better than even Full-time Temp.

Finally, Robert ended this first week of August with an interview at a place to which I had sent his resume/cover letter. They called him directly and set up the meeting for Friday, and Friday afternoon Robert called me. "The interview was very nice.." I couldn't even take the suspense (at least i told you all before you even started on this epic journey!). Bottom line? HE STARTS MONDAY! It's full time! It's $9/hr! It's a small family-owned ice cream company that is growing and needs someone in the kitchen making the ice cream and cleaning up, and Robert is their man! That bagel place just lost out on someone who could have been their next MVP - but too bad! You snooze you lose! Robert is HIRED. I feel like this has been a year and a half marathon (so if you're like geez this story is long - you have NO idea), but he is FINALLY at a place to begin building stability and a future.

Robert has been a picture of perseverance and persistence. Even though he was the model applicant in many ways, there were still underlying issues that presented immense challenges to his re-entering the job market. You can do all the right things and still face barriers, and there can also be things beneath the surface that will demand attention before the outward stability pieces start falling into place.

There's nothing 'easy' about job placement. Robert's story has been an uncomfortable reminder that I do not have the corner market on knowing what the "secret" is to placing people. It's a group effort, for sure, with so many dependent factors that extend far beyond 1 organization or set of people. I'm so happy for Robert, and I'm excited to see what this new job will do for him in concert with the other support services he has in his life. May he continue to work in dignity for sustenance and hope.

Choosing Joy

Friends, it has been a good long while since I've posted anything. In a renewed commitment to reflect (in this format) more regularly, I'm focusing on a topic that's been pretty significant to me in the last few months.

Joy is that element of life that you sometimes hear people talking about as a distinctive: "happiness is circumstantial, but joy is a choice." What does it mean to choose joy?

It means in the face of hardships, we look for the blessing. when relationships are strained, we look for the truth, intention, and hope behind the pain. when the future is uncertain, we revel in the clarity of the moment. or when the moment is distorted, we search for the core of goodness that surpasses the passing impression. when we work for justice and the results are discouraging, we cling to the joy of small victories, of new break-throughs, of the beauty of people working in cooperation for a common good.

one of my favorite quotes related to the pursuit of justice while embracing joy is from Gary Haugen, director of the International Justice Mission:

"The victims of injustice in our world do not need our spasm of passion; they need our long obedience in the same direction. They need our legs and lungs of endurance; and we need sturdy stores of joy. We cannot ache and sweat through history's long arc of justice without clutching life-giving stores of beauty, laughter, goodness, love and light, without snatching delicious naps in the cool grassy spots, and without late night fires with friends who make us flush and ache with laughter. To carelessly ditch the cool canteen of joy in the name of a severe urgency is to misunderstand the expedition and to render one's self useless in the fight against aggressive evil."

Joy was a little elusive for me in the fall. Communal life wasn't the easiest, I was missing friends who had moved, I was struggling at work, and it seemed that relationships that used to be easy were hard, and those that had been hard were just replaced by other challenges. But a friend reminded me of Guerrillas of Grace, and Autumn's poem was particularly applicable: Waken in Me a Sense of Joy.

"O extravagant God, in this ripening, red-tinged autum, waken in me a sense of joy in just being alive, joy for nothing in general except everything in particular; . . . joy in having what I cannot live without-- other people to hold and cry and laugh with; joy in love, in you; and that all at first and last is grace."

What brings me joy? My family. This Christmas was a beautiful reunion after 4 Christmas' of not being together. And an added blessing? Simon Claassen Thrush! That little pumpkin has stolen my heart. being an auntie has been such a thrill. his big blue eyes, his little tricks, his tottering steps, his giggle, his shy smile, his charmer smile, his sleepy smile, his cuddly moods...so good. and sharing DC with Alan & Beth? quality.

'nother joy? GREs being done. done done and DONE. and the math? kicked that mug out the way! and I'm so grateful for the friends who supported me and encouraged me along the way - because studying for that stuff was not fun. but as one beautiful friend put it, God's call is not dependent on test scores. thank goodness!

final joy? (before bed): the Grantham Girls. the 5 of us were freshmen on Grantham 2nd Hall in 2002-2003. From that year, we created a bond that has lasted for the last 7/8 years. dang! each year has brought more adventures, more memories made, more laughter shared, more ridiculousness embraced. this last weekend was no exception. these girls make me flush and ache with laughter. if ever a word could brand a group, it could be "joy" - and I am full of that joy reflecting back on our years of friendship.

"Come, Lord Jesus, expand me by your power, . . . to do something I believe in and be something more of who I mean to be and can be, . . . to link my passion with courage, my hope with discipline, my love with persistence, to enable me to learn from difficulties, grow in adversities, gain wisdom from defeats, perspective from disappointments, gracefulness from crises, and find joy in simply living it all fully." (Gentle My Desperation)