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RALEIGH - North Carolina is ranked 43 out of 51 states for reentry for ex-felons, an updated report from the NYC Legal Action Center states.

Roberta Myers-Peebles, the keynote speaker at the Community Success Initiative's fifth-year anniversary celebration, revealed the statistic during her luncheon speech. The all-day celebration, "Building Partnerships Through Relationships - Let's Get to Know One Another," was held May 2 at First Baptist Church: Family Life Center.

Dennis Gaddy, founder and executive director of CSI, incorporated the organization in May 2004 after spending nearly six years sleeping on a prison bed  due to some unwise financial choices. Prior to being in prison, Gaddy worked in the direct-selling business for 20 years, where he helped grassroots people start home businesses.

Over the years, CSI has expanded its work into five program areas: personal development and leadership skills training; entrepreneurial training; youth development and enrichment; serving people in transition from prison and those still incarcerated, and building just and caring communities. Since the beginning, Gaddy said the agency has been able to touch the lives of over 500 ex-felons. He credits his partners at Good Work and Building Together Ministries for helping him make it a success.

The celebration began with a re-entry roundtable teach-in, with updates about statewide reentry efforts such as the Ex-offender Reentry Study Bill (HB 527) pushed along in the Legislature. The bill passed its first reading in the House and was referred to the Rules Committee.

Myers-Peebles is a friend and mentor to the CSI. She is also an executive director of the Legal Action Center National H.I.R.E (Helping Individuals with criminal records Reenter through Employment) Network in New York City. The network of over 6,000 members aims to increase the number and quality of job opportunities available to people with criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and public opinion.

"People of color represent only about 27 percent of the population, but they represent about 60 percent of the people who are locked up," Myers-Peebles said.

More than 7 million people are currently incarcerated nationwide, which is equal to one out of 31 adults, according to a new Pew Center on the States report. "Nearly 700,000 people are estimated to be released from prisons each year, so we have people that are going to need jobs; what are we going to do?" she asked.

Nationally, over 65 million people have a criminal record on file. In N.C. alone, that number is 1 million. Myers-Peebles said N.C. employers could consider an arrest record that didn't lead to conviction, which is one of the reasons the state has such a poor ranking. But she added that the state is not alone.

Another reason N.C. ranks poorly is it didn't totally opt out of a drug felon ban on access to public assistance like food stamps. "Instead, it modified it to allow some individuals who are in treatment to have access to benefits," Myers-Peebles said.

Furthermore, she said the state has no expungement remedy for old or minor convictions. "Once someone has a conviction, for the rest of their lives they have to deal with it, and that doesn't make any sense to us," she said.

Demetris Burke was released from jail Feb. 14. He had been incarcerated three times, but the last time he said  God inspired him to turn his life around. "I watched my daughter grow up in a picture frame because of choices," he said.

His daughter is now 7 years old. She was 6 months when he went to prison. "I was a slave, a slave to sin, so inside prison is where God met me. Neither one of you would have met me there. You wouldn't have come to see me there," he said. "But God met me where I was at because I chose to be met.

"I see the name Dennis Gaddy, it's more than a name to me; it has authority to me. It has discipline, character... I'm now getting involved."

(Watch our video of the luncheon on our site.)

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