| Story | JPMorgan Chase, in partnership with creative agency Droga5, commissioned an art installation to shine a light on the problem of “The Waiting Workforce”: 1 in 3 Americans with prior criminal records that face or have faced significant barriers to finding meaningful employment, and the importance of Clean Slate legislation. The installation consists of 38 sculptures that represent people with past criminal records in waiting positions made out of real expungement papers, showing how this complex and costly paperwork is the very thing keeping them out of the workforce. These are 38 statues for the 38 states that have yet to pass this legislation that would bring automatic record clearing and ultimately more employment opportunities for those who already paid their dues. This installation opens on Thursday, April 4th and takes place in Philadelphia’s Independence Plaza throughout the month of April for Second Chance Month. Pennsylvania was the first state to pass Clean Slate legislation, so launching this campaign here signifies the opportunity for other states to follow their lead. On the same day, JPMorgan Chase will be hosting the Second Chance Business Coalition Conference to release the latest data on the expungement problem in the US. They’ve also invited people who have been affected by this issue to celebrate the art piece and its significance together. For background, JPMorgan Chase has always been bigger than banking - their motivation as a firm goes beyond numbers and is rooted in their commitment to humanity. The firm’s purpose is to “Make dreams possible for everyone, everywhere, every day,” which is proven by their many efforts that are a catalyst for enduring impact across America and around the globe. The strongest evidence of their commitment to humanity is about a problem that the firm is leading to fix in America, which “The Waiting Workforce” aims to bring attention to: trying to remove barriers for people with past criminal records to get back into society and find meaningful employment. |