Onward Blog

When your eyes come open to the truth, there is no turning around.

By Anthony Witherspoon, #LwC2019

October 8, 2019

Anthony Witherspoon has a Ph.D. Higher Education Administration from Jackson State University.

Walk with me as a ‘possible’ and step away from the ‘probable.’

By Saad Soliman, #LwC2019

September 30, 2019

I am the founding Executive Director of the Peers Mentoring Center and Peace By Piece Inc. in Wilmington, Delaware. 

My job is to put a new face on reentry.

By Tracey Syphax, #LwC2019

Tracey Syphax He is a board member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

From that moment I saw that I had a unique opportunity…

By Guy Hamilton Smith, #LwC2019

September 15, 2019

Guy Padraic Hamilton-Smith is a member of the Law & Society Association’s division on Punishment & Society.

How do we reimagine how we treat our young people and make our juvenile justice system healing and transformative?

By Keturah Herron, #LwC2019

Keturah Herron is a graduate of the University of Louisville and holds a Masters in Juvenile Justice from Eastern Kentucky University.

I don’t think luck should have any role in whether or not people in prison have access to education.

By Dirk Van Velzen, #LwC2019

August 31, 2019

Dirk Van Velzen graduated from the Nonprofit Management program at the University of Washington.

We’re taking criminal justice reform to a whole new level!

By Kemba Smith Pradia, #LwC2019 Fellow

August 16, 2019

Kemba Smith Pradia is a graduate of Virginia Union University and was the recipient of a two year Soros Justice Postgraduate Fellowship.

From that moment on, I just knew that advocacy and policy were going to be the game-changers for me.

By Miea Walker, #LwC2019

July 18, 2019

I am the Criminal Justice Manager of the Policy and Advocacy Division with Forward Justice which is based in my home state of North Carolina.

Mass incarceration is just the fourth generation of slavery, and collateral sanctions are just Jim Crow all over again.

By Crystal Bryant, #LwC2019

July 2, 2019

I am the Director for the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry.

There’s always something to be said when you’re doing something for the community you grew up in or serving a population where you can relate directly to their experiences.

By Yasmine Arrington, #Lwc2019

July 1, 2019

I am the Founder and Executive Director of ScholarCHIPS, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.

I want to help people who have lost the ability to dream to dream again.

By David Garlock, #LwC2019

May 15, 2019

After a Leading with Conviction forum ... you realize you’ve just solved a problem you thought was beyond you.

When I started to hear other women’s stories, I realized something had to change. I realized this wasn’t just me.

By Zaria Davis, #LwC2019

May 1, 2019

Leading with Conviction is awesome. There is so much content and useful information for me as a leader that I can take back.

To know I’ve given a voice to people who consider themselves voiceless is huge for me.

By Jonathan McGee, #LwC2019

April 17, 2019

Leading with Conviction is transformational.

I want to leverage technology to end mass incarceration.

By Marcus Bullock, #LwC2019

March 18, 2019

When I was only fifteen years old, I was sentenced to eight years in prison and sent to a maximum security facility hours away from my home.

We are people who were caught up in the system and made it out, and now we get to be the voice for other people.

By Alaina Combs, #LwC2019

March 6, 2019

I can’t talk about Leading with Conviction without crying because I’m just so grateful to be a part of this cohort.

You’re Born with Either a Fight or Flight Response, And Luckily I was Born with the Fight Response. I’ve Been Fighting Since I was a Child.

By James Monteiro, #LwC2018

November 19, 2018

The best thing I got from Leading with Conviction is I’m never alone. There’s always someone I can reach out to across the country.