Meghan McLeroy

The Project

Meghan (she/her/hers) will focus on vindicating the rights of older Black Alabamians incarcerated for unreliable, racially motivated convictions through novel data collection and analysis, direct representation, and local coalition building.

Nearly 7,500 people incarcerated in Alabama’s prisons are over the age of 50. Though Black Alabamians make up only 25% of the state’s total population, half of the elder prison population is Black. This disparity is a direct result of historical “tough on crime” policies that disproportionately sentenced Black Alabamians to life with or life without parole. While systemic reforms in the 2000s led to shorter sentences and increased procedural protections for criminal defendants, those reforms neither apply retroactively nor affect defendants’ post-trial protections. Such inadequacies mean that hundreds of Lifers will die in Alabama’s chronically overcrowded prisons unless those with legal power take a second look at their cases.

Meghan’s commitment to racial justice was cultivated in the unlikeliest of places—on a farm in an overwhelmingly white, rural Alabama community. Her passion for her home state and its people drives her to work toward a more equitable legal system for all Alabamians.

Fellowship Plans

During her Fellowship, Meghan will represent older Black Alabamians serving life with or life without parole whose sentences predate certain state legal reforms. She will partner with local service providers to funnel current community momentum for sentencing reform into political momentum. Additionally, she will draft a policy report on the issues facing the project’s target population to help Alabama Appleseed’s policy team advocate for “Second Look” legislation.

Media

The Project

KyMara expands legal representation available to Georgia youth with disabilities, primarily Black and Brown boys, to keep them in schools free from segregation on the basis of their identity.

Of the 14,000 children in Georgia’s foster care system, only 11% graduate from high school. Georgia’s foster youth are navigating the traumatic experience of being removed from their home, and these children face harsh consequences at school when their experiences impact their behavior and conduct.  School disciplinary incidents make foster youth more susceptible to suspensions and expulsions. While children are entitled to legal representation in school disciplinary hearings or tribunals, over 95% of Georgia students appear in tribunals without representation. 

KyMara was inspired to use the law to impact the lives of vulnerable youth through her experiences as a high school English teacher in rural South Louisiana, where she witnessed the systemic barriers her students faced and the lasting impact of those barriers. She hopes that by advocating for foster youth, she will decrease the number of students impacted by exclusionary discipline.   

Fellowship Plans

KyMara will ensure that more students with disabilities in Georgia schools receive an equitable education where they are not funneled into segregated schools through the special education process. She provides special education advocacy and direct legal representation to children recommended for segregated school placement; raises awareness and engages in community outreach regarding segregated schools and its connection to school segregation; and advocates for policy reforms that will improve the lives of children in foster care, specifically those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and/or have a disability.