Onward Blog

JustLeadershipUSA Supports the Eliminating BIAS Act and Urgently Calls on Congress to Pass It

By JLUSA

January 16, 2026

The Eliminating BIAS Act is legislation that we feel strongly needs to be adopted urgently.

JustLeadershipUSA Continues Its Support for the Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act

By JLUSA

January 15, 2026

This legislation is literally a matter of life or death for people who are incarcerated.

What Cecilia Zavala told John Legend she most wants social justice funders to understand

By JLUSA

Cecilia Zavala (Leading with Conviction™ 2023) says, “This is a defining moment for philanthropy.”

DeAnna Hoskins named one of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s “People to Watch” in 2026

By JLUSA

January 13, 2026

“Hoskins, a Cincinnati native who works from her home in East Price Hill, was the first formerly incarcerated person appointed a White House Fellow.”

Doug Smith on life after bipolar and depression, alcohol and substance abuse—on the My Last Relapse podcast

By JLUSA

January 12, 2026

After his release, Doug Smith (Leading with Conviction™ 2018) experienced relapses but reframed them as part of recovery rather than failure.

Hakim Crampton on Michigan ID program for formerly incarcerated people upon reentry

By JLUSA

January 5, 2026

“The program has been working quite well, but there are a lot of things missing from it …”

Chandra Bozelko asks why more are not championing religious freedom for incarcerated individuals

By JLUSA

January 2, 2026

“Landor represents precisely the kind of religious freedom issue that progressives have historically championed.”

Chivas Watson on rising health care costs

By JLUSA

December 29, 2025

“It’s really tight for us,” Chivas Watson (Leading with Conviction™ 2023) told KVUE news recently. Watch video.

Emilee Shell calls for executive clemency in the case of Maurice Taylor

By JLUSA

December 26, 2025

“I don’t know under what circumstances a 20-year sentence for this offense would be lawful.”

Carole Eady-Porcher celebrates new trauma recovery center opening in Brooklyn, New York

By JLUSA

December 22, 2025

Carole Eady-Porcher (Leading with Conviction™ 2015): “Most of us have been through trauma and violence well before we become addicted.”

Jonathan Morgan on how prison education programs save lives and money

By JLUSA

December 19, 2025

“Ending these programs removes hope, opportunity, and any meaningful incentive for personal growth …”

Captivated: JLUSA’s Annual Year-End Best of List for 2025

By JLUSA

December 17, 2025

As the year wraps up, here are the top recommendations that captivated us in each of these categories in 2025—music, movies, TV, podcasts, and books!