Community Activism
The Richmond Transparency and Accountability Project
The Richmond Transparency and Accountability Project (RTAP) builds safer, healthier communities by disrupting mass incarceration at its source: police policies and procedures. We organize black and brown people, legal experts, and policy analysts to achieve policing practices that reduce physical, economic, and emotional trauma on the most policed neighborhoods in the city.
Eli’s work with RTAP has been to analyze the publicly released data from the RPD, advise the coalition on the limitations of that data, and strategize regarding the data the coalition should ask RPD to make available in order to address questions related to inequalities in policing. Specifically, the coalition is examining racial inequality as it relates to citizen complaints, police stops, use of force, and arrest data. This work has also resulted in a service learning collaboration between the Legal Aid Justice Center (as a RTAP partner) and Eli’s Social Justice Organizing course.
Virginia Anti-Violence Project, Board of Directors
The Virginia Anti-Violence Project works to address and end violence, with a specific focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities across Virginia. Eli served on the board of directors, and as the chair for the sustainability committee and personnel committees.
As a board member, Eli worked closely with the director, the board, and the staff to ensure that VAVP is fulfilling its mission and living into its values.
As the chair of the sustainability committee, Eli oversaw the fundraising efforts of the organization. This includes planning and executing of semi-annual fundraising campaigns, including GiveOUT Day and #SupportHealthyLove, as well as smaller fundraising events throughout the year.
As chair of the personnel committee, they were responsible for coordinating the annual reviews for the director and staff, regular review of staff policies, and the promotion of staff wellness.
Southerners on New Ground
Southerners On New Ground (SONG) is a regional Queer Liberation organization made up of people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South.
Eli worked closely with SONG in taking a list of demands to the Virginia Pride board regarding making pride a more inclusive space for people of color. From these meetings, we were able to secure space for a healing tent for LGBTQ+ people of color, have a booth for white allies to discuss racial injustice in the LGBTQ+ community, and begin plans to collaborate next year’s pride related racial justice programming.
Eli has also worked on SONG's Free From Fear Campaign in Richmond. In conjunction with other community organizations, the Free From Fear campaign is working to implement a Community Review Board to increase the accountability of Richmond City Police.
