For Immediate Release
ORLANDO – Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, today released the following statement challenging the use of the word “felon” during the 2024 presidential election:
“Nearly 20 million American citizens have a felony conviction, and 1 in 3 people across our country have some sort of record. Labeling people as “felons” or using the word as a badge of honor for political purposes is a slap in the face to the millions of impacted individuals and families. It also represents a step backward in efforts to move our country forward by embracing our shared values of forgiveness, redemption and restoration.
Both campaigns have an opportunity to engage in a serious, statesman-like debate on issues. To resort to playground antics of name calling or reducing the election of the President of the United States to being a contest between a Prosecutor and a “F-word” is robbing this country of the serious dialogue it deserves. It also distracts from the greater question of what candidates can offer this country while working to unite and heal us.
“While I have referenced political candidates and campaigns, this message applies to members of the media as well. It is imperative that we are all mindful of the language we use and the damage it may carry.
“America deserves better.”
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Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a graduate of Florida International University College of Law, a Ford Global Fellow, and a 2021 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. Remarkably, under Meade’s leadership his organization FRRC was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2023. He helped restore voting rights for more than 1 million returning citizens in Florida through Amendment 4 which passed in 2018.