Marica Ranglin-Vassell M.Ed is an educator, author, motivational speaker, and former Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives where she represented the 5th District from 2017 to 2023. During her tenure Representative Ranglin-Vassell was a strong advocate for increased minimum wage, gun safety, maternal health and other initiatives centered on improving health and wellness for children. In 2021 Representative Ranglin-Vassell was the sponsor of a law to make doula services eligible for reimbursement through private insurance plans. She is also a fervent proponent of providing all Rhode Island K-12 students with universal free school lunches. Upon leaving office, Ranglin-Vassell founded the Global Fund to End Childhood Hunger and Poverty, a non-profit organization based in Providence, R.I with the core mission of expanding children’s access to healthy nutritious foods. Ranglin-Vassell is the author of Journeys: A Collection of Poems About Life, Love, Faith and Determination, and Transforming Schools: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching, Learning and Healing.
Anusha Alles is a community organizer and non-profit leader who advocates for racial, economic and gender justice. Anusha is based in Providence, Rhode Island (RI) and is the former staff organizer for the Behind The Walls Committee, an ongoing campaign that is embedded within the larger Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) organization. Founded in 1986-1988, DARE partners with community members and other grassroots organizations to achieve its mission of organizing low-income families in communities of color to secure economic, racial and political justice. Currently, DARE leads two major campaigns, the Tenant and Homeowner Association and the Behind The Walls Committee. Both the Tenant and Homeowner Association and the Behind The Walls Committee are led by members of the community who collaborate with DARE staffers to advocate for policies and practices that promote equity. The Tenant and Homeowner Association uses its platform to challenge and prevent evictions, foreclosures, predatory lending services and practices, divestment, gentrification and displacement in low and middle income communities of color. Similarly, The Behind The Walls Committee focuses its work in low and middle income communities and includes members who have been directly or indirectly impacted by incarceration. They have successfully organized to expand voting rights to formerly incarcerated people, prohibit potential employers from requiring applicants to disclose their criminal record and increase access to housing opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
Harrison Tuttle is an organizer, activist, former candidate for senate district 3, and the President of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC (BLM RI PAC). The BLM RI PAC was launched in 2020 following a wave of protest across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd. The organization works to support and elect BIPOC leaders who have a progressive policy agenda. In his role as president of BLM RI PAC and as an activist, Tuttle has advocated for progressive legislation including the repeal of the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights, The Crown Act, and the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act.
Nithin Paul MDMPH is a board certified family and preventive medicine physician practicing in Woonsocket, Rhode Island (RI). He is passionate about providing care in underserved communities and aligns his work of addressing the causes of health inequities with grassroots organizations that work to achieve people centered health justice. In December of 2021, Paul was among a group of activists and community organizers who slept in tents in front of the RI Statehouse demanding state lawmakers to take decisive action to address homelessness in the state.
Bella Robinson is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island chapter of Call of Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE RI), an organization that advocates for policies and laws that protects the health and supports the safety of people who are involved in the sex industry. COYOTE offers programs and services including (1) Re-Entry services: a program that provides case management support and help to create a release plan along financial support in the form of gift cards for clothing and food items, (2) Coyote Closet: a clothing donation program that also offer other necessities like hygiene packages and overdose prevention kits, (3) Sister to Sister: an online support group for formerly incarcerated women, (4) Healing Hustlers: an online support group for sex workers and (5) Podcast: a platform where sex workers, former sex workers and survivors share their stories. COYOTE has led several legislative campaigns among them are: H7833/S2651, a bill that would criminalize sexual assault by police officers and House bill 6064 which grant immunity to sex workers and sex trafficking survivors reporting crimes.