"Elder" Freeman Policy Fellowship

2019 “Elder” Freeman Policy Fellow

Paul B.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Community Organizing, Policy Advocacy.

Paul was raised in the Bayview-Hunters Point district of San Francisco, a community that has seen its fair share of social problems over the years. Paul says, “I come from an underprivileged background yet have been blessed with the opportunity to take numerous courses at San Francisco State University and, more recently, at UC Berkeley. Viewing community outcomes from a sociological lens has equipped me with the tools and perspectives to understand how social programs, public policy laws, and monetary allocations create these community distinctions. I will work to understand the individual as a product of social and institutional environments and recognize the needs for individuals to navigate the social and institutional environment that they find themselves in.” 

Paul has always had an inherent desire to help and provide service. In his time at UC Berkeley, Paul has engaged in the kind of activism that has allowed him to put the knowledge gained from both life experiences and studies to practical use: “My academic work has equipped me with the tools to understand the ‘why,’ I am now seeking the incubator that will allow me to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to implement change, and I’m positive this Policy Fellowship represents the ‘how.’” 

Paul states: “ LSPC provides the formal training to eradicate racial and social inequality, all while providing a voice for the members of society who are not able to effectively represent themselves. Moreover, it will provide the opportunity to do necessary work on a greater platform to achieve and enforce change. My goal is to utilize the inside knowledge of institutions and systems currently in place to help people from marginalized groups. I am committed to providing a service to the overlooked and ostracized members of our society who have been affected by social forces.” 

2019 “Elder” Freeman Policy Fellow

London Croudy

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Reentry, Community Organizing, Policy Advocacy, Public Speaking.

London was selected for the 2019 Elder Freeman Policy Fellowship after demonstrating her strength and passion working towards equity for those currently and formerly incarcerated in the U.S. As a formerly incarcerated women, she utilized her eight year federal prison sentence by facilitating  women’s empowerment classes and penning her novel The Price You Pay. London has experience in acting and the arts—she’s competed in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s ACT-SO monologue, attended the American Musical Dramatic Academy, and volunteered at the American Black Film Festival. London’s goal is to create a documentary depicting the everyday struggles of those directly impacted by incarceration to highlight the fact that we are so much more than our formerly incarcerated status and #METOO’s. We are resilient!

2019 “Elder” Freeman Policy Fellow

Katie Dixon

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Reentry, Community Organizing, Policy Advocacy, Public Speaking.

Katie Dixon is a Policy Fellow at Legal Services for Prisoner with Children, an organization that organizes communities impacted by the American carceral system and advocates to release incarcerated people, to restore human and civil rights, and to reunify families and communities. Since graduating the Delancey Street Foundation in 2014, Katie has been active in supporting communities throughout the Bay Area. Katie is a proud alumni of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, where system-impacted girls get a fresh start. She also continues to work closely with the SFAPD reentry division, focusing on job development and placement for people on probation. Katie is a member of All Of Us Or None, the driving force behind California’s Ban The Box movement, a grassroots organizing project fighting for the civil and human rights of formerly and currently incarcerated people and their families. Katie is a Policy Outreach leader for the Ron Dellums Fair Chance Ordinance with Just Cities, a recent graduate of EBHO Leadership Academy, and also a member of the League of Women Voters’ Oakland chapter.