Onward Blog

I am the Policy Coordinator for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles.

By Kent Mendoza #LwC2018

May 17, 2018

We provide hundreds of formerly incarcerated people with mentorship, mental health services, supportive housing, access to jobs and education.

A Struggle to Survive: Motherhood Post-Incarceration

By Brenda Lawson, #WORKINGfuture Member

May 15, 2018

Like so many mothers I spent this past Sunday—Mother’s Day—with my children. But for me it’s a day that’s more about my children than it is about me.

Bill of Rights for Criminalized Workers: The New Standard of Economic Justice

By #WORKINGfuture Campaign

May 10, 2018

Over 70 million people in the United States have a criminal record. For people living with a record...

Real Reform Means that I Can Tell My 8 Year Old Daughter Miracle that She Doesn’t Have to be Afraid Anymore of Walking While Black

By Shanequa Charles, #LwC2018

May 3, 2018

JLUSA’s Leading with Conviction training compares to nothing I’ve ever been a part of.

May Day Reading List

By JLUSA Staff

May 1, 2018

On May Day, a day about working people who we know are most powerful when they are organized, we release the first JLUSA reading list...

Welcome to Onward

By JLUSA Staff

Onward is JustLeadershipUSA’s new platform for ideas, stories, and reports from the field.

Our Life Experiences Have Greater Value and Power than Anyone Else’s in Fighting for Criminal Justice Reform

By Darwin Hamilton, #LwC2018

April 26, 2018

When people wonder why I fight for criminal justice reform I explain that I have been both convicted of crime and a victim of crime.

When You Reach the Edges of Your Imagination, What is it that You Want for Yourself and the People that You Love?

By Grace Gámez, #LwC2018

March 20, 2018

LwC is a space where you don’t have to explain either the pain of shame and stigma or the passion for your work.

I Felt there Was a Missing Element in the Struggle of Young Black Youth, and that was Having a Mentor

By Hakim Crampton, #LwC2018

March 9, 2018

LwC isn’t so much about teaching you about leadership; It’s really about how to conduct yourself as a leader.

No Two Stories are Exactly the Same, But Everyone is Coming to the Table

By Michael King, #LwC2018

February 23, 2018

To say that I was blown away by my first Leading with Conviction forum would be an understatement.

If You’re Tired of the Same and You Wanna Make a Difference, it’s Time to Be the Change

By SaulPaul, #LwC2018

February 20, 2018

I’ve lived long enough to see some cycles repeat and I’ve seen some things change that people probably thought were permanent. But things can change!

You learn how to bake mac and cheese in a microwave.

By Glenn E. Martin

November 22, 2017

JustLeadershipUSA has trained hundreds of formerly incarcerated individuals and has empowered them to take their seats and redefine the conversation.