Soros Justice Fellowships
Soros Justice FellowshipsApplication Guidelines | Grantee List
Lauren Melodia
2009 Center for Community Alternatives In New York State, criminal justice reform depends in part on the support of residents in the rural areas where most of the prisons are located. Broad support in rural "prison towns," however, will be possible only with the creation of opportunities for economic development. Lauren Melodia will work with community members in rural areas to generate ideas for community enterprises and facilitate the development of those enterprises into economically viable opportunities. Melodia's project involves a collaborative effort to help these rural areas develop sustainable models for growth. Melodia is an organizer based in New York City. She has spent the past three years working at the Center for Constitutional Rights. She launched the Bed-Stuy Farm Share, a neighborhood consumers' cooperative that purchases fresh produce from farmers of color. Melodia is also an organizing consultant to Farmers of the World, a grassroots group that provides resources to immigrants and migrant workers to help them establish their own agricultural businesses. Previously, she organized public housing residents in New York City and worked in Amnesty International's Business and Human Rights program. New York, NY | |
