The Knoxville Area Urban League will host labor officials from the state of Tennessee to laud the success of an incarceration to workforce reentry program that includes skills training and employment opportunities.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's newly created Office of Reentry will join the Knoxville Area Urban League's RISE Reentry Taskforce meeting on Wednesday, May 11, from 3-4:30 p.m. at the nonprofit's headquarters, located 1514 E. 5th Ave. The partnership between state and local leaders will help the community benefit from the transition of ex-offenders from prison, jail or juvenile justice facilities to the workplace.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the state for our reentry programs," said Denise Carr, the director of workforce programs for the Knoxville Area Urban League. "We are eager to work together to address the challenges facing Knoxvillians and, more broadly, Tennesseans who need to emerge from incarceration and reestablish themselves in the community. The Knoxville Area Urban League has been at the forefront of these efforts."

The local Urban League and the Office of Reentry are committed to providing effective services to justice-involved individuals and assisting communities and employers as they navigate the shift. The Knoxville Area Urban League offers pre- and post-release services, including skills training, connection to employment resources, expungement clinics and more.

The next expungement counseling opportunity will be held Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the local Urban League's headquarters on East Fifth Avenue in East Knoxville. The event is the first step for formerly incarcerated individuals to clean their records and regain their rights. Experienced volunteers from the University of Tennessee College of Law's Legal Clinic will talk with and assist registered participants. Representatives with the NAACP also will be on-site to register voters.

For questions about the clinic or help with expungement processes, contact the Knoxville Area Urban League's Workforce Development department at 865-544-5511 or info@thekaul.org.

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