Missouri, make it easier for people with convictions to get their lives back on track | Opinion

Whether we are Black, white or brown, everyone should have meaningful work, a safe home and the ability to contribute to our community. But today, more than 1.9 million Missourians are boxed out of jobs, education, housing and more because of an arrest or conviction on our record.

For too long, certain politicians have stood in the way of ensuring every Missourian can contribute, but now we have the power to change that.

This month, members of the Missouri House Economic Development Committee voted unanimously for House Bill 953, a bipartisan “clean slate” law that would automate the process for expunging eligible nonviolent arrest and conviction records just like mine.

I’ve been in the fast food industry for more than two decades, working hard to give my kids a better life.

In 2009, I was working a fast food job for $8.50 an hour. The company’s choice to hold down our wages made it a struggle to pay the bills. My family fell behind on our electric bill and had our lights cut off. We ran an extension cord from our neighbors’ house to charge our phones, cook and bathe with warm water. But we eventually wore out our welcome. As a mother, my kids were at the forefront of my mind as I thought about getting our electricity back on. I decided to try cashing a bad check for $700 — just enough to cover the light bill.

I was arrested when I tried to cash the check, and I spent six years in prison for trying to protect my kids. That’s six years of missed birthdays, holidays and watching my children grow into young adults.

When I got out, the halfway house gave me a list of places that would hire people with a record: fast food and low-wage warehouse jobs — the same workplaces whose wealthy CEOs trapped me in poverty before. I worked at another fast food restaurant for seven years, but management denied me a promotion because of my record.

I’ve been trapped in poverty-wage jobs — creating billions of dollars in wealth for corporations that have paid me barely enough to keep my family fed, clothed and housed.

We all make mistakes, and we all deserve to move on in life once we make amends. But I am still being punished with a life sentence of stigma, limited opportunity and poverty. While tens of thousands of Missourians like me are eligible for expungement, the process is expensive and burdensome, so only about 1% percent actually get that expungement.

When our family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers and community members of all races, faiths and genders are barred from fully participating in society and our economy, we all lose out.

Five years after receiving expungement, individuals are less likely to be convicted of a crime. One year after having their records cleared, people are 11% more likely to be employed and earn 22% higher wages.

That means thriving families and safer communities where more of us can put food on the table, enjoy time with loved ones and show up for one another.

Missouri businesses are struggling to find workers, yet tens of thousands of qualified applicants can’t get these jobs because of our records. Expungement can help us build a better life while strengthening local businesses and boosting our economic well-being.

That’s why I’ve been fighting for passage of the clean slate initiative with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Missouri Workers Center. I’ve visited Jefferson City to tell my story to my elected officials, and now we are closer than ever to giving more than 518,000 Missourians who qualify for expungement the clean slate we’ve earned — regardless of whether we can afford a lawyer and expensive court fees, or know how to navigate a complex court process.

When we come together to demand our lawmakers follow in the footsteps of bipartisan groups of legislators in Utah, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, we’ll get H.B. 953 over the finish line — showing up for each other, delivering the second chance and well-paying jobs each of us deserves, no exceptions.