February is Black History Month, and Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana is proud and excited to celebrate its Black and African American leaders, mission participants and students. David Hollomon is an incredible example of a Goodwill leader and has been for nearly two years.

As a manager for Goodwill New Beginnings, David’s role revolves around providing support for the 10-12 staff members who provide case management and class facilitation to program participants. These participants have experiences with the justice system and often need supplemental support to successfully reenter their communities.

Goodwill New Beginnings is designed to fulfill their needs. It offers resources to help individuals secure housing and healthcare, reinstate their driver’s license, address legal challenges and more.

“Helping others is my favorite part of my job,” David said. “If we help our participants, they can help prevent their kids and grandkids from making the same mistakes. We can help prevent generational poverty and prison.”

However, helping others overcome these barriers can be challenging. Retaining individuals in the program and finding housing for their circumstances are two prominent obstacles. Despite the challenges, David is passionate about his work and how his role affects his community.

“I love what I do!” David said. “I love the people, my co-workers and what Goodwill stands for.”

Since February is Black History Month, it’s also a great opportunity to talk about and act on issues affecting the community.

With 90% of program participants being Black, David can easily see the disparities in available opportunities, in and outside of the justice system. He says promoting and practicing equity in the workforce and justice system is especially important today.

For David, Black History Month is an everyday acknowledgment.

“It needs to be taught and highlighted that African Americans are more than just ‘Black History,’” David said. “We are inventors, scholars, doctors, lawyers…builders and leaders. We are American history!”

To learn more about Goodwill New Beginnings, visit goodwillindy.org/employment.