According to the Brookings Institution, in the first year following release, almost half of those previously incarcerated report zero earnings, and the median earnings of those working report just above $10,000 a year.
Chad Dillon is working to change that.
There may currently be jobs available, but they don't guarantee stability or economic mobility for the previously incarcerated. Dillon, an Atlanta-based restaurateur and entrepreneur, wanted to offer hope.
In June 2022, Dillon held a business pitch competition with Metro-Atlanta Reentry Prison’s' Aces Program. He awarded $10,000 to the top five business proposals from formerly incarcerated entrants. In September 2022, he announced the creation of the Privilege Restaurant Group, which actively recruits and hires persons with a criminal justice history.
Dillon understands the hardships these people face. "Bad decisions don't make bad people,” he told Black Enterprise. “I know if given the tools and with the willingness to succeed, these individuals can turn their smarts and criminal pasts into legal, successful business endeavors."
Chad Dillon is an entrepreneur doing the most to uplift men who have a hard time finding employment. He saw an opportunity to help empower people in our community, and he took it. That is the spirit that will push us to our liberation.