Support the Protected Class Network in Ronald's Memory
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My name is Ronald Marshall, Chief Policy Analyst of Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), and I am a father grieving the unimaginable loss of my son Ronald. On November 12, 2024, my oldest son, Ronald, was killed in California. The grief of losing him is unbearable, but what truly breaks my heart is knowing why this happened: his criminal record.
Eighteen months ago, I picked my son up from a Louisiana prison, full of hope and determination to turn his life around. He wanted to build a new future, free from his past mistakes. But society didn’t let him.
Ronald worked tirelessly, often juggling two or three temporary jobs, determined to survive and create stability. However, those jobs slipped away one by one when employers ran background checks. Door after door slammed shut in his face—not because he lacked skills, determination, or work ethic, but because of the stigma of his record.
For a year, I watched him endure this brutal cycle of hope and heartbreak. Temporary work would come, and then it would vanish. After months of trying, Ronald gave up looking for a steady job. Society had made it clear: no matter how hard he tried, there would be no escape from his past.
Eventually, desperation pushed him back into the only way of surviving he’d ever known. That path led him to California, far from his home and family, where his life was tragically cut short.
My son’s story is not unique. This is the harsh reality for so many people—especially Black and Brown men and women—who are denied fair chances to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
This cycle must end.
I am also the co-founder of the Protected Class Network, which is on a mission to break these cycles before my son's death. We fight for laws and ordinances that make people with criminal records a protected class, ensuring they have the same anti-discrimination protections as other marginalized groups. Our goal is simple: to give people like my son a fair chance at life after incarceration.
Ronald’s death has fueled an urgent mission in me. That’s why I’m asking for your support to launch the Protected Class Network—a movement to secure legal protections for formerly incarcerated people across this country.
With your help, we will:
File for 501(c)(3) status to establish the Protected Class Network as a nonprofit.
Build a website for the Protected Class Network.
Fund the salaries of a dedicated team for the first year to drive this work forward.
Advocate for protected class ordinances and legislation statewide and nationally to ensure people with criminal records have the opportunity to live, work, and thrive without discrimination.
Hire a comms team to raise awareness of the injustice that delivered my son to harm.
I am ready and capable of leading this fight, but I cannot do it alone. If you share this vision for justice, join me. Let’s ensure that no more families are shattered, and no more lives are lost to a system that thrives on exclusion and despair.
This is about more than my son. It’s about the countless lives at stake—the lives of men and women who want nothing more than a chance to live with dignity, free from the shadows of their past.
Your support isn’t just a contribution—it’s a stand against the injustice that claimed my son’s life and threatened countless others. Together, we can build a world where redemption is real, second chances are possible, and no family has to bury their loved one because society refuses to let them rebuild.
Join me in this fight. Help fund the future of the Protected Class Network and ensure that my son’s death—and the deaths of so many others—won’t be in vain.
Thank you for believing in change. Thank you for standing with us.
—Ronald Marshall
Co-Founder, Protected Class Network
Donate today and join the fight for justice.
Let’s make this change together.
Employment: https://www.voiceoftheexperienced.org/staff
Organizer
Ronald Marshall
Organizer
New Orleans, LA