The Morning Call: How a new Pennsylvania law is a step toward reducing institutional racism
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The legislation, Senate Bill 637, passed both chambers of the state Legislature unanimously. It was introduced by Sen. John DiSanto, R-Dauphin, who said the bill would “provide fairness and transparency in licensing decisions, eliminate an old or irrelevant criminal record’s lifelong barriers to employment and support our commonwealth’s skilled workforce needs.”
The politicians haven’t been highlighting how big of a deal the law is for breaking down a systemic barrier for minority communities. Maybe that’s because they don’t want to admit the old rules were examples of systemic or institutional racism.
But many in the broader community knew the truth.
They saw the potential this legislation had, which is why it drew the support of organizations including the Greater Harrisburg NAACP, Community Legal Services, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Justice Action Network, all of which have been fighting for equal rights.