Sandra has been a Community Senior Organizer and proud member of All of Us or None. She joined the team in 2017 as the first Elder Freeman Policy Fellow before she joined the staff as an organizer then becoming one of the senior organizers at Legal Service for Prisoner with Children (LSPC). Before coming to LSPC, Sandra studied Health Education and Social Science at City College of San Francisco from which she received her AA degree in May, 2018

Sandra is originally from Monterey, California. She was raised by a single parent, her mother Elnora Diggs. Sandra is the oldest daughter and has 5 other siblings. She is formerly incarcerated herself, having served 15 years in and out of the system. She draws from her own personal experience and has had several other formerly incarcerated loved ones. Her oldest brother has currently served 41 years into a 17-to-life sentence. Sandra is his biggest support system and dreams of the day he is also released from the belly of the beast.

Sandra is an advocate for many other families with incarcerated loved ones. Sandra has served as an expert witness and has testified many times in front of the CA state legislature and SF Board of Supervisors as a criminal justice expert. Her testimony and organizing was instrumental to passing the Fair Chance Act (AB 1008) and the RISE Act (SB 180) in 2017.

She understands the pain and struggles of others that still have loved ones behind the walls and has dedicated herself to the fight to end the injustice of both being first locked up and then locked out upon.

Sandra has worked at Root and Rebound as their In-Prison Coordinator and worked to help others to reentry and navigate the many barriers. Her passion is to help others see that they are worthy of a better future and we as impacted people do not have to be held hostage to our past. She is now returning to Legal Service for Prisoners with Children as their staff Senior Organizer where she will be responsible for coordinating and creating in prison membership for All of Us or None of incarcerated people in order to help them learn to advocate for policies that impact their lives. She believes that everyone’s voice matters and that Democracy needs everyone.

Works / Interviews:

• Ban the Box – Calif. Just Passed Landmark Law to Stop Bosses From Discriminating Against People with Convictions – In These Times – November 6, 2017.
• Ban the Box – Ex-inmates win new law requiring California employers to “ban the box” – CALmatters, October 14, 2017.
• Ban the Box – Should Give People With Record a Second Chance – East Bay Times – Nov. 9, 2016