I used to think it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Like it’s not just the words that come out of your mouth that matter, but the tone, the pace, the cushion that matters too.

Today it feels like the focus is just on the words themselves, irrespective of the packaging. And as someone who’s a bit obsessed with words — what they convey, how they make you feel, how they transport you to another place without even budging an inch — this moment we’re living in has really got me thinking.

When people butt heads over words, is it because they have different assumptions about what those words mean?

This question feels eerily timely during April’s Fair Chance Month, a month for us to highlight the importance of unlocking new beginnings for people with justice system involvement. It’s timely because the words “fair chance” focus on the need for equitable treatment in employment practices, ensuring candidates are evaluated for the talent they hold, not the barriers they have overcome.

At REDF, we’re passionate about making sure people have the opportunity to get back to work. And we believe to do that in the most innovative and durable ways, we should center the perspective of proximate leaders who have lived expertise with the justice system (“JI leaders”).

In addition to our portfolio investments, here’s how we’ve centered the wisdom of JI leaders:

1. We let the words of JI leaders guide us in programmatic changes.

We learned from these leaders that we could do better by them. To get traction in our work together, they told us we needed to deepen our trust-based coaching, deliver trauma-informed care, and create space for peer connection and community building.

So, we’ve prioritized fewer and deeper relationships, to allow trust to be built more meaningfully. We’ve embedded trauma-informed practices into our leadership development and technical assistance, while proactively addressing burnout and wellbeing.

2. We’ve built community venues for JI leaders to learn from each other & take action together.

To model what we seek, we’ve established a peer-led affinity group of JI leaders in our community. We host both formal sessions to unpack complex issues (like how trauma associated with incarceration shows up in the workplace and what helps effectively address this trauma) and informal “office hours” for folks to use this peer brain trust to solve problems together. And we’re coming together as one voice, seeking to advocate for fair chances — in this month and always — for returning seeking to reenter the workforce.

3. We strengthened our bench internally with lived expertise professionals.

We are honored to have a Pivot Fellow (through Georgetown’s Pivot Program) join our team. The Pivot Program is a highly selective, nine-month full-time business and entrepreneurship-oriented certificate program, delivered by Georgetown University faculty in partnership with the DC Department of Employment Services. It’s designed specifically for individuals returning to the community after a period of incarceration. Our Fellow will join forces with our Accelerator team to strengthen our teaching principles, and he’ll use his lived expertise to provide counsel to key technical assistance projects, too.

So yes, words matter. That’s why we call them “fair chances,” not just ‘second chances.’ Fair (equitable, just) chances at unlocking possibilities for people with justice system involvement, their families, and their futures.

We’re playing one small part. And we hope you will too. You can do that by supporting an employment social enterprise that creates fair chances, buying a good or service made by someone with experience in the justice system, or using your own voice to inspire your employer to source from this untapped talent pool.

Your words have more power than you think.

—Maria Kim