Lisa Sangoi (she/her) is committed to working in service of reproductive justice, having spent the past decade plus advocating against the separation of children and families through the child welfare and criminal legal systems. She has participated in or co-led several advocacy and organizing campaigns to roll back laws, policies and practices that punish mamas for exercising their reproductive decision making. She has also had the privilege of providing legal representation to women targeted by the child welfare and criminal legal systems through trial and appellate advocacy.
She spends quite a bit of time learning about criminalization of pregnancy and parenting, and she regularly consults on related cases and legislation throughout the country. Her writing has been published in academic journals, print media and advocacy reports, and she presents often on these injustices. She founded and co-directed Movement for Family Power for five years, an organization that uses movement lawyering to support grassroots organizing around foster system reform and abolition.
She has previously worked at Mothers Outreach Network, NYU Law Family Defense Clinic, Pregnancy Justice, Women Prison Association Incarcerated Mothers Law Project, and Brooklyn Defender Services Family Defense Practice. She has a law degree from NYU School of Law, a master’s degree in Human Rights from Columbia University, and undergraduate degrees in Math and Philosophy from NYU.