Pastor Benny CustodioHe/Him/His Rev. Dr. Hector B. Custodio (better known as Pastor Benny) spent twenty years as a wrongfully convicted man. While in prison, he earned his GED and BA. In 2006, he was accepted into the New York Theological Seminary Master’s program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. In 2007, he became the coordinator of…
Monica JonesShe/Her/HersMonica Jones is a Black transgender advocate who also advocates for the rights of sex workers and low-income women of color. She holds a degree is social work from Arizona State University. She has advocated at the United Nations in Geneva and New York, has presented at International AIDS Conferences in Australia and South…
Miguel “Geno” TuckerHe/Him/HisI am the CEO and Founder of Remember Us Urban Scouts, a nonprofit youth development organization located in Columbus, Ohio that provides youth with personal and professional life skill development. I am a dedicated servant to God, my family, and my community. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio provided me with skillsets that contributed…
Kiefer PatersonHe/Him/HisKiefer Paterson, Government Relations Manager at Harm Reduction Coalition, supports federal-, state-, and local-level harm reduction policy and advocacy, with emphasis on the implementation of federal funding for syringe services programs. He is deeply interested in the intersections of HIV, HCV, racial and economic justice, homelessness and housing instability, and LGBTQ identity, and strongly…
Dinah Ortiz-AdamesShe/Her/HersDinah Ortiz-Adames is an afrolatinx drug user activist who has fought for decades for system-impacted communities. After her role as Supervisor at the Bronx Defenders, Family Defense Practice Dinah began doing consultant work as a Drug user organizer and activist who has shared her story of parenting during past chaotic substance use nationally and…
Deborah Peterson SmallShe/Her/HersDeborah Peterson Small is Executive Director of Break the Chains, an advocacy organization committed to addressing the disproportionate impact of punitive drug policies on poor communities of color. Break the Chains was founded in the belief that community activism and advocacy is an essential components of progressive policy reform. Break the Chains works…
Charlene AllenShe/Her/HersCharlene is the Director of Partnerships at Common Justice, innovative victim service and alternative-to-incarceration program based on restorative justice principles. She has worked with survivors of crime and trauma for more than twenty years as an attorney, advocate, and educator. She led one of the first statewide domestic violence coalitions as lobbyist/organizer for Jane…
Bernard Noble
Amelie RatliffShe/Her/HersAmelie grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, spent six formative years in the 1970s in Berkeley, CA, and has lived in Boston since 1978. Since leaving the south she’s made it a point to support the work of progressive organizers and organizations across the region, including Highlander Research and Education Center, Project South, and the…