On Apr 3, 2024, WorkSource Montgomery held its first Fair Chance Symposium & Job Fair at Veteran’s Plaza in downtown Silver Spring, MD. This event was the first of its kind, where we not only held panel discussions and workshops, but we also had fair chance employers on-site looking to hire! Despite the rainy weather, we were extremely pleased with the turn out – over 120 attendees came out ready and eager to learn what resources are available to them.
The energy was incredible and refreshing for many justice-involved jobseekers who felt like they were in a safe place—an equalizing opportunity if you will, to be able to network with employers and other job seekers who might have previously shared some of the same challenges.
We had the privilege of having some esteemed panelists from the justice-impacted community! Among them were Anndrekia Maha, M.S., SHRM-CP, Teresa Hodge, Colin Fraser, Saad M. Soliman and our very own Executive Director Anthony Featherstone — who all shared their vulnerable “why’s” with the audience. We thank everyone – the employers, panelists, WSM staff and job seekers for making this inaugural event such a success! We look forward to making this an annual event every “Fair Chance” month in April.
It truly takes a village – hard work and intentionality – to make Montgomery County a more equitable place for ALL!
