Kori Chen
Oakland, CA
Project: Expanding Employment for the Formerly Incarcerated
Kori’s mother was born in an Arizona concentration camp, one of 127,000 ethnically Japanese U.S. citizens arbitrarily deemed to be a “threat to national security.” Growing up in Oakland, Kori says “I've seen how a lack of economic opportunities leads many on a path to crime and imprisonment.”
Kori has worked as a community organizer, has served on the core committee of the Oakland-based Asian Prisoner Support Committee and now manages a specialty coffee roasting business. His project aims to expand employment opportunities to 4-6 formerly incarcerated residents of Alameda County. Participants will complete a 40 hour training program about the specialty coffee roasting business, training on important skills that can be transferred to other settings, including sales, marketing, customer service, public speaking, and manual labor. He will also conduct outreach to small businesses in the Bay Area to identify 4-6 employers who will commit to hiring formerly incarcerated workers, as the first step in replicating the training program in the specialty coffee industry. Finally, he will conduct outreach to 25 prisoners at San Quentin State Prison to educate them about potential employment opportunities upon their release.
Read an interview with Kori: Second Chances for the Formerly Incarcerated
Oakland, CA
Project: Expanding Employment for the Formerly Incarcerated
Kori’s mother was born in an Arizona concentration camp, one of 127,000 ethnically Japanese U.S. citizens arbitrarily deemed to be a “threat to national security.” Growing up in Oakland, Kori says “I've seen how a lack of economic opportunities leads many on a path to crime and imprisonment.”
Kori has worked as a community organizer, has served on the core committee of the Oakland-based Asian Prisoner Support Committee and now manages a specialty coffee roasting business. His project aims to expand employment opportunities to 4-6 formerly incarcerated residents of Alameda County. Participants will complete a 40 hour training program about the specialty coffee roasting business, training on important skills that can be transferred to other settings, including sales, marketing, customer service, public speaking, and manual labor. He will also conduct outreach to small businesses in the Bay Area to identify 4-6 employers who will commit to hiring formerly incarcerated workers, as the first step in replicating the training program in the specialty coffee industry. Finally, he will conduct outreach to 25 prisoners at San Quentin State Prison to educate them about potential employment opportunities upon their release.
Read an interview with Kori: Second Chances for the Formerly Incarcerated
