Season 2- Episode 2: Walking in My Shoes: Transitioning from Prison to the Community – Part 1 with Qiana Johnson
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Release Date: 07/08/2020
Season 2, Episode 19: Challenges for Black Entrepreneurs & Business Owners
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Becoming an entrepreneur/business owner has been a part of the “American Dream” for as long as time can tell, and a growing aspiration for many. But did you know that according to the 2018 Annual Business Survey, Black/African American owned employer businesses account for only 2.2% of the 5.7 million employer businesses in the United States? While this number has been increasing since 2002, this population is still disproportionately smaller than the population overall. Why might this be the case? Based on a poll of 400 Black business owners commissioned by Groupon and the National Black...
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Season 2, Episode 18: Young Voices of Activism: A Pathway to Career in Politics?
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Youth activism has been on the rise throughout the past two decades, but COVID-19 accelerated engagement among youth in our nation. According to , although the pandemic has led to community lockdowns and increased isolation among youth, “Young Americans, in particular, are showing commitment to a pragmatic center of policy priorities: affordable health care for all, environmental sustainability, international cooperation, civil rights and economic justice. Despite their current isolation, most young Americans embrace empathetic leadership and they are devoted to serving their communities.”...
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Season 2, Episode 17: Building Wealth in African American Communities
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Slavery, Jim Crow, and decades of economic inequalities have severely impacted the earnings and wealth of black Americans. McKinsey & Company reported that the median white family had more than ten times the wealth of the median black family in 2016. Additionally, McKinsey & Company stated that, “the racial wealth gap between black and white families grew from about $100,000 in 1992 to $154,000 in 2016”. Two years later the Business Insider include the following stated in their article, “In 2018, the average black American was earning roughly 60% of the average white American,...
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Season 2, Episode 16: The Impact of Stormwater Management on Workforce Development
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What is Stormwater Management? We’re glad you asked. According to the , Stormwater management is the effort to reduce runoff of rainwater or melted snow into streets, lawns and other sites and the improvement of water quality. Urban or developed areas with poor Stormwater management can have flooding, erosion, turbidity (or muddiness), storm and sanitary sewer system overflow, and infrastructure damage. A proper Stormwater management system will not only provide green infrastructure helping the environment, but also aides Workforce Development providing jobs, education &...
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Season 2, Episode 15: Falling Forward: Life After Job Loss
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Tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs in the coronavirus recession, but for many of them the news is getting even worse: Their positions are going away forever,” according to Politico, “Permanent losses have so far made up only a fraction of the jobs that have vanished since states began shutting down their economies in March, with the vast majority of unemployed workers classified as on temporary layoff. But those numbers are steadily increasing — reaching 2.9 million in June — as companies start to move from temporary layoffs to permanent cuts. This episode will features...
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Season 2, Episode 14: Next Generation CEOs
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Everyone has New Year's resolutions, and with the current economic climate, many of those resolutions involve regaining employment and financial stability. However, for some, the goal is to stop being an employee and become an entrepreneur. Becoming a business owner can be much harder than many know. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first 10 years. Only 25% of new businesses remain in business after 15 years or more. This episode of The...
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Season 2, Episode 13: COVID-19: A Conversation on How Small Business Can Achieve Success in this New Normal
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The Coronavirus brought the United States to a standstill! Everyone has been impacted by the pandemic, but America’s small business community may see the greatest impacts. In April, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported that 24% of small businesses were temporarily closed and 43% of small business owners believed that they had less than six months until they would have to permanently close their businesses. As small businesses around the Country struggle to survive, we’re talking with small business expert, Michael Burke, CEO of Quest Consulting, and one of the DC Metropolitan Area’s...
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Season 2, Episode 12: Walking in My Shoes: Transitioning from Prison to the Community – Part 5- With Huwe Burton
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The United States Department of Justice reports that over 650,000 people are released from prison every year. Unfortunately, studies show that approximately two-thirds of those released will likely be rearrested within three years. The Workforce Wire podcast series, “Walking in My Shoes”, features returning citizens who have successfully transitioned from incarceration and identify, in their words, why they were successful, why many are not successful, and what can be done to decrease the recidivism rates of returning citizens. In the final episode of the Walk in My Shoes series we...
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Season 2, Episode 11: COVID-19: Challenges & Opportunities for Nonprofits
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The Coronavirus shocked the world! There isn’t a city, state or INDUSTRY that hasn’t been affected by pandemic. Out of all the topics and headlines, one that hasn’t been widely discussed is the nonprofit sectors response to the pandemic and the impacts of the pandemic on the sector. As nonprofits around the Country answered the calls of their local governments and communities, sometimes providing food and supplies to thousands of people in a single day, nonprofit leaders have been terrified that their sources of funding have been dwindling and could possibly disappear. What is the state...
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Season 2, Episode 10: Walking in My Shoes: Transitioning from Prison to the Community – Part 4- With Marcus Bullock
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The United States Department of Justice reports that over 650,000 people are released from prison every year. Unfortunately, studies show that approximately two-thirds of those released will likely be rearrested within three years. The Workforce Wire podcast series, “Walking in My Shoes”, features returning citizens who have successfully transitioned from incarceration and identify, in their words, why they were successful, why many are not successful, and what can be done to decrease the recidivism rates of returning citizens. Part 4 features entrepreneur & justice reform advocate,...
info_outlineThe terms “Reentry” and “Returning Citizens” have become a popular phrases and topics of discussion for politicians, the media and workforce development professionals. Unfortunately the most important people for these discussions, returning citizens, aren’t being included. To ensure the voices of returning citizens are being heard, The Workforce Wire is producing a five part series, Walking in My Shoes. Walking in My Shoes will provide you the prospective of returning citizens related to their needs and recommendations for their communities related to crime prevention, improving the criminal justice system, and how communities can reduce crime and recidivism by helping offenders successfully reenter their local communities.
Part 1 of Walking in My Shoes features Qiana Johnson, founder of Life After Release, Inc. Life After Release provides reentry services to formerly incarcerated Prince George's County residents, and was founded by Qiana after she couldn’t find the services she needed after her incarceration. Join the program as Qiana shares her story of incarceration and subsequent return to the community. Discover the policy changes that need to happen in order to help individuals successfully integrate back into society upon their release from incarceration, and the support that is needed from the community.