Ella Baker Center’s C3 Civic Engagement Program is focused on building power with those most impacted by the criminal legal system. We are working to build political power with and among low-propensity voters who are generally left out of voter engagement efforts. We believe the people closest to the issues are also the closest to the solutions. By empowering those most impacted by the criminal legal system, we will bring in a new base of voters who understand the impact that elected leaders have on our criminal legal system. 

Meet Our Civic Leaders!

Anita L. Wills

Anita Wills is a writer Author and Activist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the

Author of 7 books including A Nation of Flaws JustUs in the Homeland, a Historical Account of racial Policing in the United States. She is the mother of a son who is incarcerated and grandmother of a grandson whose murdered at 19 years of age in Oakland has not been solved. Ms.. Wills is a Legacy Fellow with MAPB (Mother’s Against Police Brutality), a State Strategy Team Leader (SST) for Essie Justice, sits on the Electoral Justice Program Table for Movement 4 Black Lives, and is on the CTPF Grant Committee for Borealis Foundation. She is a long time Activist and Supporter of All of Us Or None and Families Advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill (FASMI).

Gilbert Murillo

Gilbert Murillo is a formerly incarcerated person and first generation. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with two degrees and has been accepted to UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Gilbert grew up in Norwalk, California, historically impacted by over-policing, violence, and gang rivalries. At 19 years old, he was racially framed for gun possession by a police officer, and was charged with homicide with a gang enhancement, which was later reduced to stolen property. This injustice sparked revolutionary ideology to organize and combat corrupt systems.  He worked on Senate Bill 990 which grants students on parole the option to transfer from prison to the county where a post-secondary is located rather than the county of last legal residence. And now he is working at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and also volunteers at Ella Baker Center for Human Rights for policy advocacy. 

Liz Kim

Liz Kim is a formerly incarcerated advocate, Legislative Director at PICO California, Professor of Social Justice Studies at American River College, Professor of Communication at Cosumnes River College, and a civil rights lawyer. Liz currently teaches at Mule Creek State Prison and serves on the Board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California. Previously, Liz was a legal recruiting consultant at the California Department of Justice from 2020-2023, President of National Lawyer Guild Sacramento from 2011 until 2021, and worked for a number of elected officials at the California State Capitol during her 20-something years’ tenure as a public servant. In 2016, Liz founded Organized Voices in response to police violence to provide legal resources for the community.

Elizabeth earned her Juris Doctor from McGeorge School of Law in 2015, her Bachelor of Arts in Communication at the University of California, Davis in 2009. Elizabeth is also certified in Mediation, Capitol Lawyering and Public Policy, and Conflict Resolution. Her published work primarily covers political corruption and civil rights; she often writes, blogs, podcasts and frequently guest speaks on issues of social justice throughout the country.

Leena Dinh Piper

Leena Dinh Piper  was born and raised in the Bay Area, mostly in Oakland. She is formerly incarcerated and was recently paroled in August 2023. Her experience of incarceration led her to apply for the Elder Ronald Freeman Policy Fellowship at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. Her goal is to create more resources and support for people coming home from prisons and jails. She looks forward to being of service to our community and supporting each other to be our best. She is honored to have been blessed with this opportunity and to join this phenomenal organization and be part of the Ella Baker Center Civic Leadership Hub.

Lawrence Cox

Lawrence Cox was born in Oakland, CA. Like many youth growing up in the Bay Area, he was exposed to obscenities, drugs, addictions, and violence. Before the age of 7 he became a ward of Alameda County touring California’s anemic foster care system. However this did not deter him and as a teenager he began advocating for policy reforms for youth in the system through community organizing. This experience challenged him and stripped him down and exposed him to the darkness and hopelessness only incarceration does. Lawrence persevered despite everything, becoming the man he is today. 

Lawrence joins Legal Services for Prisoners with Children committed to creating change for those affected by the prison system. After almost 17 years of triumphs, struggles, introspection, growth, and education, Lawrence’s prominent focus is finding ways to reverse systematic disenfranchisement and the infrastructures that perpetuate these inequalities.

Hakim Owens

Hakim Owen is a dynamic leader with a deep passion for education and liberation. He’s a distinguished author, dedicated student, and advocate for underrepresented communities. In 2021, he earned an Associate Degree in Sociology from Los Positas College.

His achievements and academic excellence led to him being selected for the competitive HAAS Leadership Award for 2023-2024. Hakim is an active member of Berkeley Underground Scholars, serving as both a policy fellow and Transfer Coordinator, to empower marginalized communities in higher education and remove systemic barriers that hold them back. Beyond his work at UC Berkeley, Hakim is deeply invested in community based projects that are aligned with his personal and professional goals including serving as a Communications Intern with Uncuffed Podcast, an organizer with the Mandela Coalition to eliminate prolonged solitary confinement, and serves on the organizing committee for the Ella Baker Center Action Fund. In addition to his academic and advocacy work, Hakim is a talented writer whose novels are currently being used to teach literacy and writing to incarcerated Bay Area youth.