| "Ex-offenders, their families and friends will have a single place to find
out about the various resources available to help ex-offenders successfully
return to the community at our July 14 fair," said Lucille Reams of Citizens
United for Rehabilitation of Errants (DC Cure). The 14-year-old DC chapter
designed the fair to bridge the gap and make sure ex-offenders are aware of
the availability of resources like clothing, food, shelter, medical
assistance and employment.
The community fair is free to agencies that provide these essential services
and those who seek them. Jobs Partnership of Washington, which offers job
training, mentoring and basic education assistance, and metroconnection.info,
which offers opportunities in journalism, have already agreed to participate.
"metroconnection.info has signed on because we firmly believe that as a
society we can either help to provide positive alternatives to help
reintegrate ex-offenders or we can sit back and lament the fact that the
prison industrial complex is being built on the backs of black people," said
publisher Avonie Brown.
"The general population sometimes does not recognize that returning to the
community for the ex-offender can sometimes become as restrictive as
incarceration and they need all kinds of assistance so they may fit back into
the community," added Reams.
The DC Cure event will be held on Saturday, July 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at
Bible Way Temple (1100 New Jersey Avenue, NW). Parking is free and Union
Station Metro subway stop is five blocks away. For additional information
call 202-789-2126. |
