Jacquelyn Iyamah advocates for Economic Justice by lobbying, attending coalition meetings, conducting research, and participating in social media activism. She has always been extremely passionate about working with marginalized communities faced with poverty, inequality, and oppression.
She obtained a B.A. in Social Welfare with a minor in Global Poverty from UC Berkeley. Though she appreciated the knowledge she gained in classes, she knew she had to put theory to practice. She joined clubs such as Amnesty International and Art for Social Change, volunteered for an anti-homelessness organization called Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), and worked for the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues.
This past year, she served as a Policy Intern with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland. The Ella Baker Center advocates for the advancement of racial and economic justice, to ensure opportunity for low-income individuals and people of color, and it does so by challenging mass incarceration, and pushing for justice reinvestment. Through her involvement with legislature, bills, and advocacy, Jacquelyn recognized the role that policies can play in empowering and bringing justice to communities that have long been disregarded. It was this experience that brought her to FCNL in 2016, to further work on policies that would uplift communities.
jacquelyn@fcnl.org