Onward Blog

Here’s Why Jails Need Better Emergency Planning

By Ronald Simpson-Bey

May 10, 2021

Ronald Simpson-Bey is Director of Outreach and Alumni Engagement at JustLeadershipUSA

Will the American Jobs Plan Include Us?

By Susan Mason and Tracey Syphax

May 4, 2021

Susan Mason is co-founder and executive director of What’s Next – Washington. Tracey Syphax is Chief Operating Officer of Phax Group Construction & De

I think the core of the work that we do is bound up in the idea that people who are incarcerated should be treated as human beings, and that we have a responsibility to them.

By Josh Hoe, #LwC2021

April 16, 2021

Josh Hoe is a policy analyst at Safe and Just Michigan.

I’ve seen what hope can do.

By Ron Pierce, #LwC2020

April 28, 2020

Ron Pierce holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Justice Studies minoring in Sociology from Rutgers University-Newark.

I am ambitious with hope!

By Coral Smith, #LwC2020

Coral Nichols is a certified life coach and a sought after public speaker.

It’s up to us to hold those in power accountable–every day, all day.

By Cedric Fulton, #LwC2020

Cedric Fulton holds a Degree in Political Science from Framingham State and A.A.S. from Bronx Community College.

I want to help out my brothers and sisters, show them the path that I took, and create new pathways for them.

By Brandon Smith, #LwC2020

I am the founding Executive Director of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP).

I think Alabama is going in the right direction, and I’m excited to be playing a part in making change happen.

By Betty Washington, #LwC2020

Betty Washington is a graduate of Troy University and Trenholm State Technical College.

My pain is what pushed me into my purpose.

By Quniana Futrell, #LwC2020

I come from the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Both of my parents were in and out of jails and state penitentiaries for most of my life.

I don’t know how and I don’t know when, but I’m going to get out of prison and I’m going to get my life back.

By Jason Hernandez, #LwC2020

Jason Hernandez has written for and been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, MSNBC, CNN and other major media outlets.

On the days I do my best work it’s the hope that we can build a better world–a world without so many people in cages–that motivates me.

By James Gould, #LwC2020

James Gould served as Secretary of the Board of Directors for Students for a Sensible Drug Policy.

In the end, I don’t want to see any child incarcerated or in a juvenile detention center.

By Dieter Cantu, #LwC2020

I was only sixteen years old when I was sentenced to ten years in a juvenile detention facility in San Antonio, Texas.

“Fixing” Cash Bail Reform with Judge’s Discretion Is No Fix at All

By Marvin Mayfield

March 9, 2020

Many are calling on legislators to give judges the discretion to detain people they believe to be a threat. But this push is woefully misguided.

Within us is a passion to maximize each moment, leading to a better tomorrow. Within us is the recognition that every person’s life has value.

By Jessica Zarling, #LwC2019

November 8, 2019

Within us is a passion to maximize each moment, leading to a better tomorrow. Within us is the recognition that every person’s life has value.

I see my path from prison to college and then to academia as a series of ordinary events that led to an extraordinary outcome.

By Chris Beasley, #LwC2019

Chris Beasley has a Ph.D in Community Psychology from DePaul University, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University.

Everybody should have the opportunity to thrive in life.

By Marlon Chamberlain, #LwC2019

Marlon Chamberlain is the recipient of the Purdy Award from the Community Renewal Society.