Carmen Perez
Carmen Perez is something of a Renaissance woman in modern-day activism. She has dedicated 25 years to advocating for many of today's important civil rights issues, including stopping mass incarceration, gender equity, violence prevention, racial healing and community policing. As President and CEO of The Gathering for Justice, a social justice organization founded by legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte, Carmen has crossed the globe promoting peace through civil and human rights, building alternatives to incarceration and violence, and providing commentary and guidance for state and federal policy creation. Her work providing cultural, spiritual and educational events as well as individual support to incarcerated youth inside of juvenile detention centers and prisons in California and New York has led Carmen to prisons in El Salvador and Venezuela.
Carmen is the co-founder of Justice League NYC and founder of Justice League CA, two state-based task forces for advancing juvenile and criminal justice reform agenda. She has organized numerous national convenings, including Growing Up Locked Down conferences focused on solutions for juvenile justice reform, and led the March2Justice, a 250 mile march through 5 states from New York City to Washington, DC which drew Congressional attention to key legislative reforms to confront the national crisis in police violence.
A respected expert in the field of juvenile and criminal justice and system accountability, Carmen was invited to testify before the President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, was a featured speaker and Co-Convener of the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March, Justice Or Else, and has helped lead several major campaigns including helping free Meek Mill and Pedro Hernandez. Carmen’s most recent work is her role as the National Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington, which drew over 5 million people across the globe who marched in resistance to hatred and bigotry, affirming women of all identities’ rights as human beings.
In 2017, Carmen was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, Fortune's 50 Top World Leaders and Glamour's Women of the Year. She’s received the Justice, Peace, and Freedom Award from the 2017 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Awards and was named "Latina of the Year" in 2017 and in 2018 was Forbes Mexico, 100 Mujeres Mas Poderosas. She has also been recognized for her contributions to criminal justice reform, with the "Gutsy Award" from the National Juvenile Justice Network, a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the Community, the Santa Cruz County Women's Commission “Trailblazer’s Award in Criminal Justice”, and the “Zaragoza Award” from the Committee for the Mexican Culture at D.V.I. Prison in Tracy, for her contribution and dedication to bringing hope to incarcerated men.