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Disclaimer – Auto-generated content in Spanish:
Algunas partes de esta página se generan automáticamente y podrían contener errores menores. Se recomienda usar el juicio crítico al interactuar con ella.
By Paul Rothschild (Leading with Conviction™ 2024 participant):
When I walked into the “chow hall” in federal prison, I saw immediately that there was something wrong, systemically. I know the relative percentages of different ethnicities in the Midwest. The disproportionate representation of Black, Brown, and other BIPOC people could not be an accident. I watched, read, and listened, and learned that this was just an extension of the legacy of racism and colonialism that permeates our culture. I learned so much in that time, about myself, about society, and about the deep humanity of the people with whom I was incarcerated.
A true second chance builds us up, makes us whole, and honors the pain we have been through …
After eight years in federal prison, I didn’t know what my life would be like, but privilege persisted, and I was able to find professional employment quickly. It was a white-collar job in healthcare finance and tech. The employer was willing to overlook my background because of the skills and experience I could bring, at a discount, because I was “damaged goods” on the job market. They paid half of what I would have been making without my background. They asked me not to share my background with my coworkers, customers, or vendors. I succeeded, and over time, my responsibilities and compensation grew.
During this period, I used LinkedIn to start connecting with social justice advocates globally, nationally, and locally, and I would spend my evenings and weekends volunteering. I found local leaders, most of them alumni of JustLeadershipUSA’s Leading with Conviction™ (LwC) leadership program, in the Chicago area, and just started showing up when they were gathering. They taught me so much and built up my pride in myself by seeing how they valued my input. They showed me how my difficult experiences with the criminal legal system and incarceration were the fuel that could be used to drive change in the very systems that feed mass incarceration.
In May of 2023, an opportunity to follow my passion opened up, and. I came to work full-time with Marlon Chamberlain (LwC 2019) and the amazing team at the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, the new home of the Fully Free Campaign and a core partner in Clean Slate Illinois. Here I use my skills and experience from the business world, in conjunction with my lived experience, to help scale efforts to dismantle post-incarceration barriers to education, employment, housing, and civic engagement.
The healthcare job would be called by many a second chance, but at its core, any position where we have to hide our past or fear that coworkers will find us out is a position that diminishes us and makes us less. A true second chance builds us up, makes us whole, and honors the pain we have been through and our efforts to transform that pain into purpose. Today I can stand in front of a crowd at an event, and speak the painful truth of my past mistakes, but from the other side of the void, where I have found something even better than a second chance, I have found a path to redemption.
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By making a donation in honor of JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
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JustLeadershipUSA is a non-partisan organization. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed belong solely to the individual author or speaker, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organization.
Since 2014, JustLeadershipUSA has maintained our commitment to ensuring systems-impacted voices are at the forefront of the movement for criminal legal reform, empowering directly impacted leaders in over 45 states with the tools, resources, and connections to transform their work.
Your donation will provide crucial support for our leadership training programs, empowering future generations of leaders and propelling the work of JLUSA and our alumni as we continue to advocate and push reform on issues that matter the most in our communities.
In just 10 years, JLUSA and our network of leaders have worked to dismantle decades of harm caused by the criminal legal system.