THE 2026 OIC MIDDLE CLASS SUMMIT: BUILDING PATHWAYS TO ECONOMIC MOBILITY
This month, LOHM Founder & CEO Dr. Topeka K. Sam joined leaders at OIC of South Florida’s 2026 Middle Class Summit, a gathering focused on economic mobility, workforce development, and expanding pathways to the middle class.
Dr. Sam brought LOHM’s perspective to the conversation, centering the realities facing justice-impacted people and the importance of ensuring that economic opportunity includes people rebuilding their lives after incarceration.
WOMEN OVER DINNER GOES INSIDE
Dignity, Community & a Seat at the Table
On September 17, Dr. Topeka K. Sam joined Women Over Dinner at Massachusetts Correctional Institution–Framingham, where 100 incarcerated women gathered around the table for a three-course meal, conversation, reflection, and community.
The evening created space for women to be seen beyond incarceration—to share stories, laugh, cry, listen, and simply be together. One woman shared, “Tonight made me feel human again.” Another woman said, “I didn’t feel like an inmate tonight.”
Moments like these remind us why dignity must remain at the center of how we show up for people impacted by incarceration.
LIVED EXPERIENCE, HEALING & THE POWER OF STORY
At The Clean Slate Initiative’s 2026 Lived Experience Leadership Summit in Atlanta, The LOHM Founder & CEO, Dr. Topeka K. Sam, moderated a conversation following a screening of Held & Healing, a social justice documentary directed by
Avrell Stokes, MPH.
The film follows Kristie Puckett of Second Chance Federation and examines how incarceration impacts pregnancy, parenting, and families—particularly for Black women and women of color. After the screening, Dr. Sam moderated a conversation with Kristie Puckett about lived experience, healing, storytelling, and the power of those directly impacted to help shape change.
Held & Healing is part of an interactive DocuCourse designed to move audiences from watching to action. Available free at DocuCourse.org.
SAVE THE DATE: GIVE MIAMI 5K
Miami, We’re Showing Up
We are getting ready for Give Miami Day, and this year we're kicking things off on the move! Join the LOHM 5K Team on November 17 as we come together in Miami to raise awareness and support our work to end poverty and incarceration.
After the race, meet us at the festival and connect with The LOHM team, learn more about our work, and be part of the community.
Save the date now—more details are coming.
COMING UP: UJC SUMMIT 2026
Join LOHM in New York City
We’re heading to New York City for the United Justice Coalition Summit on Saturday, October 17, and we want our community there with us.
More than 1,000 leaders, advocates, experts, organizations, and community members will gather at The Shed for conversations focused on actionable solutions to challenges within the criminal legal system.
The LOHM will be there to connect, share resources, and bring our work into a national conversation about what justice can—and should—look like.
October 17, 2026 | The Shed | New York City
MAKE AN IMPACT
Your Support Moves This Work Forward
From creating spaces of dignity and connection to expanding pathways to opportunity, LOHM’s work is possible because people choose to invest in it.
Your gift helps us continue showing up for individuals and families impacted by incarceration, with housing, resources, opportunity, community, and hope for what comes next.