Our Team

Darrius Upshaw is currently working on his undergraduate degree. He is a Senior Inside Organizer with Initiate Justice and enjoys working on policy proposals and teaching others about the legislative process.

Kenthy Porter is the co-founder and Executive Director of Democracy Beyond Bars, an organization committed to amplifying the voices of incarcerated individuals in the fight for equity and justice. Having spent over 21 years in prison, Kenthy's dedication to organizing spans more than a decade, deeply rooted in the lived experiences of those he has grown alongside, fought for, and hoped with during his time behind bars. His work honors these individuals, whose resilience and strength continue to inspire his unwavering commitment to transformative change.

Larry Torres began his journey into civic engagement after the killing of Trayvon Martin and the onset of the BLM movement. Education gave him a way to make sense of the movement and inspired him to visualize what was possible. Social justice means survival and working to protect my community from state violence by challenging the policies that create harm. It also requires creating new policies that will do away with the state's capacity to enact violence, and this is why I educate myself.

Dortell Williams is currently earning his graduate degree through Cal Stat-Dominguez Hills. His civic engagement experience spans nearly three decades. He currently serves in advisory roles from the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Families United to End LWOP, and UnCommon Law.