that he had two felony convictions in his past and said, therefore, you can't work for the city. it didn't care about his rehabilitation. it didn't care that he was ranked number one in his class each the five years of the electricians' training program. >> reporter: singleton successfully fought to get cincinnatti to ban the box, removing the criminal history question from its job applications. employers are still free to ask the question later in the hiring process. the point is to give ex-offenders a chance at an interview. >> it's not felon first employment program. what it is it's giving people a fair shot to compete for jobs where they are qualified. >> reporter: so this box issue, is it more of an issue for people of color, for black men? >> statistics bear out that if you're a person of color, you're more likely to be the focus of the police. you're more likely to wind up in the criminal justice system. >> reporter: this summer connecticut joined minnesota and new mexico in banning the box on state job applications.