This community has shifted the legal landscape of California over the last four decades. And just this year our Solís Policy Institute network and partners championed seven bills (!) that became new laws when they were signed by the Governor this month. These legislative victories demonstrate what we all know: we can do more together.
Please join us for a community call that showcases our unstoppable community of badasses next Wednesday, Nov. 3rd at 1pm PDT.
During our time together, we’ll talk with Solís Policy Institute alums Hèctor T. Plascencia who won new supports for Black and brown birthing people with the Momnibus bill, Lucia Mattox who worked to expand care for undocumented survivors of violence, and Pallavi Garg who helped get AB 124 across the finish line to advance trauma-informed sentencing for survivors.
We’ll celebrate our wins and keep learning together to ensure that the perspectives and experiences of women of color and gender expansive folks shape the solutions being implemented at every level of government.
SPEAKERS
- Lucia Mattox (she/her)
Lucia Mattox is a Policy & Outreach Associate at the Center for Responsible Lending. Based in the Oakland office, Lucia works on small-dollar lending, student loan debt, and criminal legal debt issues. She helps advance policies in these focus areas to protect and expand economic security for communities throughout California and in select other states. Prior to joining CRL, Lucia worked at the Campaign for Black Male Achievement in New York, where she supported the CEO in expanding and deepening the organization’s impact to ensure black men and boys across the country thrive. She has also worked on the External Relations team for Achievement First, a network of over 30 high-performing K-12 public charter schools in historically underserved communities across Brooklyn, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Originally from San Francisco, Lucia holds a B.S. in Urban Studies with a concentration in Sociology from Barnard College. - Héctor Trinidad Plascencia (they/them/we/us)
Héctor Trinidad Plascencia was raised in La Puente, California by powerful Latina ciswomen, and is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. As a transgender, undocumented, queer sister, uncti, daughter and beloved bridge builder, Héctor’s identities and privileges shape their work and holistic approach to social justice. Grounded in community-centered transformation, Héctor is guided by the belief that impacted people must be active in all aspects of movement development and implementation. Their natural progression from immigrant rights organizer to health justice and trans policy advocate led them to center health and healing as focal points of movement building and sustainability. Beyond movement magic, Héctor loves to dance in the mornings, visit the woods with their furry baby and pays homage to their trans-cestors by choosing to live. - Kimberly Alvarenga (she/her/ella/siya)
Kimberly Alvarenga has over twenty years of experience growing the economic and political power of underrepresented communities and approaches her work as the daughter of an immigrant domestic worker. In 2005, Kimberly served as Director of Economic Justice & Human Rights at the Women of Color Resource Center, where she led statewide policy advocacy on behalf of women and girls. In recognition of her political leadership, in 2008 Kimberly was invited to serve as the District Director for California Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, where she spent six years advocating for policy change at the local and statewide level. - Pallavi Garg (she/her)
Pallavi Garg is a Staff Attorney and the Criminal Justice Program Coordinator at Free to Thrive, a nonprofit legal clinic that provides legal services to survivors of human trafficking. - Bia Vieira (she/her/ella)
As the Chief Strategist of Programs, Bia leads shaping and implementing the strategic vision of the Foundation and works closely with the CEO, staff, and Board. She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience ranging from the philanthropic to the nonprofit sectors focused on gender, racial, economic justice and immigrant issues. Previously, Bia was the Vice President of Philanthropic Services for the Philadelphia Foundation. Originally from Brazil, she is a longtime activist in women’s, LGBTQI, Latino, and arts and culture issues. Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Bia holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish and Anthropology and a Masters Degree in Literature and Linguistics, both from Temple University. Bia resides with her partner in Oakland, CA.