2026 ABMoC Data Fellowship
The Alliance for Boys and Men of Color’s data fellowship is designed to increase our partner’s capacity to understand, source, and visualize data for advocacy and systems-change work. The fellowship is supported by funding from the California Funders for Boys and Men of Color and the Weingart Foundation. Initiated in 2019, this six-month fellowship program equips fellows with training, one-on-one coaching, and technical assistance to help advance action research.
Meet the 2026 ABMoC Data fellows:
Emily Zamora
Campaigns and Policy Coordinator, Youth Justice Coalition
Emily is a Campaigns and Policy Coordinator with Youth Justice Coalition, working to end youth incarceration through campaign work such as #FreeThe50 girls and gender expansive youth with their Liberation Fund partners on the front lines. Emily grew up in South Central, Crenshaw District living through the discrepancies of over policed neighborhoods and underfunded schools in Los Angeles County. She been organizing throughout LA on the buses, trains, community events, county, state, and local spaces starting at the age of 16 being motivated by the environment that she grew up in, knowing that youth and families deserve to live full healthy lives that address mental health needs, housing, food stability, and the protection of our bodily, physical, and spiritual autonomy.
Jesús Martín Gallegos-Muñoz
Community Organizing Coordinator, Chicano Federation of San Diego County
Jesús Martín (he/him/el) is a Community Organizing Coordinator with the Chicano Federation of San Diego County. He advances equitable, community-driven solutions to some of San Diego’s most pressing challenges by leading the organization’s advocacy and legislative priorities. Jesús Martín’s work focuses on expanding access to essential services and opportunities, with particular attention to immigrant rights, restorative public safety, and equitable access to housing, food, and healthcare — especially within city and county budget processes. Jesús Martín believes that true systemic change is rooted in an engaged and empowered community. In his role he has developed programs that foster civic participation through restorative and transitional justice approaches. With a strong background in immigration advocacy and youth development, he is committed to driving transformative change by equipping others to advocate for equity and justice.
Josue (Swey) Pineda
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Hoops4Justice
Josue (Swey) has been a youth Advocate since 2018. His work as an abolitionist started after he was facing 23 years to life in prison at the age of 19 in 2017. Post-incarceration Swey has been a mentor for transitional age youth both currently inside juvenile hall/jail/prison as well as those coming back into the community. Through his role as a Young Adult Advisory through the ACEs Aware Initiative in partnership with the California Surgeon General’s office Swey helped inform the state on what is necessary to work with incarcerated youth navigating their Toxic Stress and Adverse Childhood Experiences. He is a cofounder and currently the Director of Strategic Initiatives with Hoops 4 Justice where he continues to mentor youth in custody and post release.
Megan Castillo
Director of Organizing, La Defensa
Megan is a seasoned community organizer and policy advocate working at the intersection of public safety, budget justice, and community empowerment in Los Angeles County. She currently serves as the Advocacy and Organizing Director at La Defensa. Their work includes advancing participatory budgeting, coordinating grassroots coalitions, and holding local governments accountable to equity-centered public spending. Megan is driven by a vision of collective liberation and grounded in values of love, freedom, and care. She is committed to building lasting systems of support led by the people most affected by injustice. Castillo has earned her Master’s of Social Work with an emphasis in Social Change and Innovation from the University of Southern California and her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and African American studies from Loyola Marymount University.
Efrain Ortiz
Membership & Outreach Coordinator, Initiate Justice
Efrain is the Membership & Outreach Coordinator at Initiate Justice, where he has spent nearly five years organizing alongside directly impacted communities. His journey began while incarcerated, where he worked with others to expand access to self-help programs, education, and critical support services, a foundation that ignited his commitment to collective liberation and systems change. With over a decade of lived experience in the justice system, Efrain brings a perspective rooted in transformation, self-determination, and community power. He is passionate about empowering impacted individuals and their loved ones to reclaim their voices, embrace their experiences, and harness them to imagine and build stronger, more just communities.
Clara Medina Maya
Senior Manager of Policy & Partnerships, Californians for Justice
Clara (they/she) is Senior Manager of Policy & Partnerships for Californians for Justice. As a first-generation and undocumented student organizing at UC Merced, advocacy was where Clara found empowerment and community. At CFJ, Clara has helped create internal processes that intentionally engage and center youth in their approach to policy, including launching our yearly advocacy day (Youth Power Capitol Day), engaging youth from our four regions in selecting our priority legislation for our Legislative Agendas and creating a Policy Internship for alumni that seeks to address the gap in opportunities into public policy for Black and Brown youth. Outside of work, they are a budding herbalist and birth worker and deeply committed to mutual aid and living by a love ethic, as beautifully described (and embodied) by ancestor bell hooks.
Keshawn “Shaheed” Price
Civic Engagement Manager, Pillars of the Community
Keshawn “Shaheed” Price is a dedicated civic engagement specialist with Pillars of the Community, a contributor for the All Rise newspaper, and an advocate in Court Advocacy. He is currently pursuing a degree in Black Studies at San Diego City College, deepening his commitment to education and social justice. Keshawn’s journey is truly powerful in his lived experience. Despite being justice impacted, having been incarcerated as a juvenile and serving 10 years in prison during early adulthood, he has transformed his life and emerged as a leader in his community. In just two years since coming home, Keshawn has achieved significant milestones, dedicating himself to advocacy, civic engagement, and uplifting others impacted by the justice system. Now, as a husband and father of two, he continues to build a legacy of resilience, empowerment, and change proving that redemption and leadership can thrive even in the face of adversity.
Kashaunti Williams
Community Organizer, Community Interventions
Kashaunti is a dedicated community organizer based in the Central Valley, committed to advancing equity, family advocacy, and community empowerment. Through her work with Community Interventions, she connects directly with families, provides access to critical resources, and leads outreach efforts that support and uplift underserved communities. With a strong foundation in grassroots organizing and civic engagement, Kashaunti has played an active role in bridging the gap between communities and systems. Her work focuses on addressing systemic barriers, amplifying the voices of those often unheard, and creating safe, supportive spaces where families can thrive.
Learn more about 2025 cohort and 2024 cohort.
Additional Research Resources
BMoC Data Dashboard
The BMoC Dashboard offers data that has been customized to track and assess the status and wellbeing of boys and men of color in California. Each indicator tool is dynamic and customizable: drill down data to your county, map rates across the state, or compare between racial and ethnic groups.
Healing Together Tools & Resources
Healing Together is our campaign that engages men, and people of all genders, in the work to build safe and accountable communities by focusing on healing, gender justice, and racial equity—instead of punishment—to end intimate partner violence.
The Tools & Resources page houses research, reports, and toolkits on our work to end gender-based violence.