Carmen Perez-Jordan is an award-winning, internationally recognized civil and human
rights leader and Chicana feminist. She is the President & CEO of The Gathering for
Justice, a social justice organization founded by the late, great Harry Belafonte. Carmen
co-founded Justice League NYC and Justice League CA, two state-based task forces
dedicated to advancing juvenile and criminal justice reform.
Under her leadership, Justice League NYC organized mass protests, including the
historic 250-mile march from New York City to Washington, DC, delivering a Justice
Package, a legislative agenda aimed at addressing systemic injustices, to Congress.
She also spearheaded the distribution of "I Can’t Breathe" shirts in response to the
non-indictment in the Eric Garner case, which helped bring national attention to police
violence against communities of color.
Carmen has led high-profile campaigns such as Free Meek Mill, Free Pedro Hernandez,
Take a Knee with Colin Kaepernick, and the I Am MEGAN campaign in support of
Megan Thee Stallion, among others. Beyond U.S. borders, she played a critical role in
the Transnational Advisory Group in Support of the Peace Process in El Salvador
(TAGSPPES), advocating for a peace process that included all sectors of Salvadoran
society.

As the founder of Latinx Police Accountability Next (LPAN), Carmen is dedicated to
ensuring accountability within law enforcement by advocating for transparency,
oversight, and justice for the Latinx community. She is also working on an oral history
project to uplift the stories of Latinos impacted by state-sanctioned violence and police
killings over the last 250 years since the annexation of Mexican territories into the United
States, ensuring these overlooked narratives are documented and shared.
Furthermore, Carmen is leading partnerships for The Next 250 initiative, which focuses
on shaping a more just and equitable future by addressing systemic inequality, racial
justice, and transformative social change. The initiative ultimately aims to evolve The
Declaration of Independence into a Declaration of Interdependence, reflecting shared
responsibility and justice.

As one of the co-founders and national co-chairs of the 2017 Women’s March on
Washington, which mobilized over 5 million people globally, Carmen was instrumental in
fostering partnerships, engaging influencers, and crafting the Unity Principles that guided
the march. She is the co-founder of Women’s March Inc. and led the process to create
the Women’s Agenda. She also co-founded Poderistas, a platform dedicated to
amplifying Latina voices, and serves on the advisory boards of Monogram and Can’t
Stop! Won’t Stop!, as well as on the Board of Directors for Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos.
Carmen is featured in the upcoming film Following Harry, which highlights the activism of
her mentor and former boss, the legendary Harry Belafonte. The film explores
Belafonte’s remarkable work in the final decade of his life and his profound influence on
leaders like Carmen. It celebrates his legacy in civil rights and human rights efforts,
offering an intimate look at how he inspired a new generation of advocates.Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of
Fortune’s Top 50 World Leaders, one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, Glamour
Woman of the Year, Latina of the Year by Latina Magazine, a recipient of the Frederick
Douglass 200 Award, and one of Forbes México’s 100 Mujeres Más Poderosas, among
others. She has been a featured speaker at prestigious institutions such as Harvard
University, Columbia University, The Academy, and Peloton, with her work highlighted in
Forbes, TIME, MSNBC, Univision, ELLE, Glamour, and Bustle.

Above all, Carmen takes the most pride in being a mother to her two young children,
instilling in them the values of justice, resilience, and community leadership.

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Richard-Abraham

@Drew Lynnette: