Onward Blog

Sing Sing star Clarence Maclin becomes Executive Producer on The Breakthrough Group short documentary

By JLUSA

November 21, 2025

Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who earned an Oscar nomination for the Sing Sing screenplay, has boarded this new documentary short.

Judith Negron shares her support for the SAFER Supervision Act

By JLUSA

November 19, 2025

“I had a three-year supervised release, and the conditions were nearly impossible.”

New Report: In America, the Price of Freedom Is Debt

By JLUSA

November 12, 2025

“The Cost of Conviction” is a new collaborative policy brief from JustLeadershipUSA, the Hip Hop Caucus, and Americans for Financial Reform.

Mark Rice on Wisconsin’s plan to overhaul prison system

By JLUSA

November 10, 2025

“[GBCI] should’ve been closed down 20 years ago,” said Mark Rice (Leading with Conviction™ 2017). “The timeline is just too slow.”

Jelly Roll announces plan to build rehab facility on his 100-acre property in Tennessee

By JLUSA

November 7, 2025

“This isn’t just about building a facility — Jelly Roll wants to create a transformational experience for people in their darkest moments.”

Kemba Smith receives HBCU Scholars Fellowship from Virginia Humanities

By JLUSA

November 6, 2025

Kemba Smith Pradia (Leading with Conviction™ 2019) says, “This fellowship will personally help me reconnect with my voice as a writer and scholar ...”

JLUSA alumni celebrate “Clean Slate” victory in Illinois

By JLUSA

November 4, 2025

JustLeadershipUSA celebrates with alumni leaders who were instrumental in this victory.

Jonathan Morgan explains why saying “reentry begins at arrest” is actually wrong

By JLUSA

November 3, 2025

Jonathan Morgan (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) writes, “When we call everything ‘reentry,’ we lose sight of what truly helps people succeed ...”

JLUSA co-hosts “Municipal Courts and the Promise of Community Justice” convening at Rutgers University

October 30, 2025

Last week, JLUSA leaders, alumni, and partners joined advocates and practitioners from across the country in Newark, NJ, at Rutgers University.

Jamira Burley on what it’s like to rely on food assistance programs like SNAP

By JLUSA

October 29, 2025

Jamira Burley (Leading with Conviction™ 2015) writes, “Most people don’t know what it’s like to [experience food insecurity]. I do.”

Quianya Enge supports new reentry housing for formerly incarcerated women in Rockford, Illinois

By JLUSA

October 27, 2025

Quianya Enge (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) says, “Every woman deserves to return home to a place that restores her dignity.”

The Alabama Solution documentary on HBO Max exposes the appalling abuses inside the Alabama prison system

By JLUSA

October 17, 2025

The Alabama Solution is a stunning new documentary, made over the course of six years, on the Alabama department of corrections (ADOC).