Onward Blog

SaulPaul participates in Savannah, Georgia youth summit

August 8, 2025

SaulPaul (Leading with Conviction™ 2018) spoke to teens about his life and how important it was to know they’re born on purpose, with a purpose.

JLUSA panel discussion chosen for SXSW 2026 Community Voting—vote online now through August 24

By JLUSA

August 6, 2025

SXSW 2026 PanelPicker® Community Voting has officially opened, and we need your help! Please vote for our panel proposal “Unlikely Allies.”

Simone Price on the importance of providing financial assistance to formerly incarcerated people after reentry

By JLUSA

August 4, 2025

“We got together with several other organizations and found private funding to launch the Returning Citizen Stimulus.”

Chain-Gang All-Stars awarded second annual Inside Literary Prize, judged by currently incarcerated people

By JLUSA

August 1, 2025

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars was recently awarded the second annual Inside Literary Prize.

Shaka Senghor shares his story on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast

By JLUSA

July 30, 2025

According to Newsweek, Joe Rogan “received backlash online” for featuring formerly incarcerated author Shaka Senghor on his podcast recently.

Robyn Hasan-Simpson on the importance of diversion programs in Atlanta

By JLUSA

July 28, 2025

“We continue to punish many of the most vulnerable individuals for the crime of, in essence, being poor in public.”

Michael Saine responds to social media uproar that led to the first VFW post inside a prison being shut down

By JLUSA

July 25, 2025

Michael Saine (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) “It was my severe displeasure to read about the closure of the first VFW post inside a prison facility.”

Calvin Duncan spent 28 years in prison on a wrongful conviction. In his new book The Jailhouse Lawyer, he shares his story

By JLUSA

July 23, 2025

“As a jailhouse lawyer, we provided assistance to everybody that we determined that was not afforded a fair trial.”

Judith Negron on reclaiming and redefining your purpose after reentry

By JLUSA

July 21, 2025

Judith Negron (Leading with Conviction™ 2023) proves that reentry isn’t just about returning—it’s about reclaiming and redefining your purpose.

Brittany Lovely on Ten Years Home

By Brittany Lovely

July 16, 2025

Brittany Lovely (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) writes, “I built a new life, but I will not stop there. I will continue to build ...”

Joshua Hoe on how to create meaningful change in a divided America

July 14, 2025

Josh Hoe (Leading with Conviction™ 2021), Senior Policy Manager for Dream.Org, talks politics as “the art of the possible.”

Timothy Burgess on Vermont’s Corrections Monitoring Commission ending after just three years

By JLUSA

July 9, 2025

Timothy Burgess (Leading with Conviction™ 2023) served as the group’s co-chair until it ended on July 1.