Director

My name is Abraham Medina. Currently, I serve as the convener, coordinator and process holder, Director of the California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice (CAYCJ). Prior to that, I served as Executive Director of the National Youth Alliance on Boys and Men of Color (NYABMOC).

I left Mexico City when I was seven years old with my mother and younger brother as a result of domestic violence. During the ordeal, my brother and I were separated from our mother and crossed the U.S. border experiencing family separation. Eventually we reunited with our mother in the U.S. I was undocumented until receiving DACA in 2013. I grew up an undocumented person of color in the U.S., impacted by and working to transform the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline and the justice system as we know it, through Afro-Indigenous concepts, approaches and models of justice. My current focus as a convener is to cultivate transformative collective power for personal, community and systems transformation.

Abraham earned his B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine. In 2018, he also earned a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology from the University of California, Irvine studying under the guidance and direction of Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman and Dr. Ray Novaco.

Deputy Director

Israel Villa is a fierce advocate for social justice. Israel is a “School to Prison Pipeline Survivor” who spent much of his childhood and adulthood in systems of incarceration, he has spent the last nine years working to support the leadership of young people in Salinas, and across California, to change unjust policies that impact the community. Israel is a proud father and grandfather and a natural change-maker and has been using his background, life experiences, and heritage towards youth justice reform and systems change. Israel currently serves as the Deputy Director for the California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice (CAYCJ).

Jessica is a dedicated community advocate passionate about youth justice, youth development, and social innovation. Jessica grew up a daughter of immigrants and in a community that faced the challenges she now works to change. As a community organizer, Jessica has helped empower her community to advocate on the issues that directly impact them. Jessica holds a Community Health Worker certification from Victor Valley College, a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside and a M.A. in Social Innovation from the University of San Diego.

Outside of her professional life, she enjoys spending time outdoors in nature and exploring new places with her partner and pup Odin.

Strategy and Data Advisor and Mentor

Tia Elena Martinez has over 25 years’ experience working for social justice in working class communities of color in the United States. Over the decades her work spanned a wide range of issues including K-12 education, the HIV epidemic, the war on drugs, homelessness, affordable housing, disconnected youth, and immigration. She is currently the CEO of Forward Change, an organization that helps advocates and community organizers use data, strategy and research to advance racial, economic, and gender justice.

Administrative Assistant

Sasha is an experienced administrative professional, working with all levels of leadership in a variety of industries including hospitals, construction, oilfield, and higher education.

After spending 15 years working her way up the ranks in the corporate world, including 10 years in a variety of administrative roles, Tanya decided to take her skills virtual. For the first 8 years of her virtual career, Tanya built her client base of non-profit and social justice organizations solely on referrals.

Tumani (a.ka. Tu) is a sister to hella siblings. She is a descendant of warriors and resilient women. She lets her ancestors and experience guide her path in fighting against white toxic patriarchal systems.

Tumani studied grassroots methods and the power of historical transformational social movements while obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies at SFSU. She gained experience with community organizing during her internship with the Black Organizing Project where she helped mobilize their Bettering Our School System (B.O.S.S) campaign that successfully removed all levels of police out of all OUSD schools.

She is a student of life where she is continuously learning and growing out of her comfort zone so she can radically abolish oppressive systems. And she is excited to support the Young Women’s Freedom Center create sustainable futures for women-identifying and transgender nonconforming people!