Community Justice Announces Historic New Leadership Team
José Alfaro Named Executive Director and Adzi Vokhiwa Appointed Vice President
For Immediate Release
July 1, 2024
Contacts: CJAF@skdknick.com
WASHINGTON – Today, Community Justice, the only Black-founded and now Black and brown-led national gun violence prevention policy organization, announced the selection of José Alfaro as Executive Director and Adzi Vokhiwa as Vice President, effective July 1, 2024. This historic appointment makes José Alfaro the first Latino lead of a national gun violence prevention organization in the United States.
Since its establishment 8 years ago, Community Justice has become the leading gun violence prevention organization in policy and advocacy led by and centered around people of color. Alfaro and Vokhiwa have been long-time voices in the gun violence prevention movement, recognized for their organizing and policy expertise at two of the nation’s largest gun violence prevention organizations. Together, Alfaro and Vokhiwa will become Community Justice’s most senior leaders, joining regional advocacy staff across a dozen states and a leadership team in Washington, D.C.
Anthony Smith, Executive Director, Cities United, will remain as Board Chair, providing senior counsel and stewardship for the organization. Juard Barnes, a seasoned violence intervention organizer and leader in the field of community violence intervention will also continue to be a senior member of the Community Justice team of advisors, and will serve as a counsel to Alfaro, Vokhiwa, and our growing number of policy staff across the country. Alfaro is only the third person to hold the executive director role at Community Justice while Vokhiwa joins in a newly created role as Vice President to help lead the organization’s overall efforts and continued laser focus on policy at the local, state and federal levels.
“Growing up in Jamaica, Queens, New York, I witnessed firsthand how systemic issues like poverty, lack of access to education, and limited opportunities intertwine to perpetuate violence and wreak havoc among communities. As a young man and former member of a street organization, I was part of the problem, but today I am committed to being part of the solution to end gun violence in communities across the country using proven violence prevention measures, ” said José Alfaro, Executive Director, Community Justice. “It is an incredible honor to be the first Latino to lead this organization and continue the legacy of rallying Black and brown communities to fight for systemic change and community empowerment. As a non-Black person of color, my responsibility is building bridges between communities to combat anti-Blackness. This liberation is only possible if we all work together, focusing on tackling the root causes created by anti-Black racism; systems that impact all communities of color. Empowering youth and supporting families can transform lives. I am committed to building partnerships, sponsoring emerging leaders in the field, and ensuring communities have the resources and support to transform this country and create a safer, more just society for all.”
“As a mother, there is nothing more important than doing all I can to shape a safe future for my child and all Black and brown children. I am proud to join an organization at the forefront of gun violence prevention policy and advocacy to ensure that the people most affected by gun violence have a seat and a microphone at the tables of power where decisions are made,” said Adzi Vokhiwa, Vice President, Community Justice. “While recent investments in community violence intervention have helped to reduce violence in communities from coast to coast, each year over 40,000 lives are cut short because of guns, with Black and brown communities bearing the brunt of the violence. Each year over 40,000 lives are cut short because of guns, with Black and brown communities bearing the brunt of the violence. I look forward to continuing this important work, championing new and innovative policy solutions and continuing to shape Community Justice as the leading gun violence prevention organization focused on people of color in the nation.”
“Community Justice has long advocated for a comprehensive approach to gun violence reform that addresses the daily realities of communities most affected by this crisis. José and Adzi represent a significant step forward for the organization and represent our growth over the last eight years,” said Amber Goodwin, founder, Community Justice. “José’s extensive experience and deep-rooted commitment to community-centered advocacy make him the perfect leader to continue our mission of empowering communities with increased resources and a holistic approach to gun violence prevention. Adzi is one of the most trusted voices on gun violence prevention policy in the nation and adds a depth of expertise to our already strong policy team. Together, their leadership will continue to grow Community Justice, saving lives and advocating on behalf of communities of color impacted by incidents of gun violence.”
“There would be no Community Justice team today without the decades of work before us with Black and brown frontline practitioners, violence interruption staff, and survivors helping to lead and craft every part of our work over the last 8 years,” Goodwin continued. ”We are grateful to them and will continue to be guided by their work as we move into this new chapter of our organization.”
Community Justice harnesses the political power of Black and brown communities most impacted by gun violence to advocate for community-led solutions, transform how lawmakers approach gun violence prevention, and ensure that these communities have a seat at the decision-making table. Since its inception in 2016, Community Justice has set out to change the conversation around gun violence prevention by advocating for policy changes at both the local and federal levels that focus on community and coalition building. The organization supports community-based approaches that empower communities with increased resources and a holistic approach to gun violence prevention, not rooted in increasing law enforcement.
Since 2016, Community Justice has achieved significant milestones, including:
Testifying in the first Congressional Hearing on Urban Gun Violence before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, which resulted in the first federal funding streams for programs like community violence intervention.
Creating Invest in Us, the only national coalition laser-focused on advocating for federal and national gun violence prevention policies that impact and support communities of color.
Expanding our state advocacy and policy team, leading to the passage of dozens of bills in state legislatures each year. This team has been instrumental in the creation of offices of violence prevention in Austin, Texas; North Carolina; and most recently in Maryland.
Partnering with Congress and local advocates for the introduction of the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, a historic bill sponsored by 117 Members of Congress to fund $5 billion in community led violence interventions and $1.5 billion in youth employment opportunities for communities hardest hit by gun violence.
Launching Policymakers For Peace, the only nonpartisan, national network of state and local Black and brown elected officials dedicated to transformative policy efforts in gun violence prevention, particularly in communities of color disproportionately affected by this epidemic.
Launching the Protect Black Women campaign to support policy solutions to stop the deadly intersection of gun violence and gender-based violence.
Launching the inaugural Violence Prevention Index (VPI), the first and only national analysis of municipalities’ programs, services, and policies designed to reduce gun and other forms of violence.
Testifying at the pivotal U.S. Congressional Oversight and Reform Committee hearing alongside advocates and survivors from both Uvalde and Buffalo communities.
Advocating for the sustainment of the first federal funding source for Community Violence Intervention, with the creation of the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative in the Department of Justice, amounting to $50 million annually since FY 2022.
Successfully advocating for the creation of the first Federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention co-led by former Community Justice Executive Director, Greg Jackson. The OGVP marks the first federally coordinated response to gun violence and expands upon key executive and legislative actions.
José Alfaro, Executive Director
A first-generation Salvadoran-American from Jamaica, New York, Alfaro’s work lives at the intersection of movement building, policy advocacy, and electoral campaigns with an anti-racist, community-centered approach.
His career began as a community educator in Baltimore City, and he remains committed to empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to be fierce self-advocates. He has worked with adolescents of color in Washington, D.C., around youth advocacy and empowerment, helped students dismantle toxic masculinity and homophobia through Maryland’s after-school programs, and organized parents in Connecticut fighting for education reform and an equitable school funding system for poor rural and urban communities.
Alfaro’s past political work includes independent expenditure campaigns at the gubernatorial, cabinet, and State Senate level, helping secure both former Governor Dannel Malloy’s reelection in 2014 and a number of critical seats for Democrats across Connecticut in 2015. In the 2016 electoral cycle, Alfaro led field strategy for State Senate and State Representative reelection campaigns and co-founded CT Latinos for Bernie Sanders, working directly with the Sanders’ campaign staff to implement strategies that helped the Vermont Senator qualify for the Constitution State’s primary ballot. In 2017, Alfaro made Connecticut Magazine’s 40 Under 40 innovative leaders list.
In 2017, Alfaro shifted to national organizing, managing Latinx grassroots organizing programs in over 20 states for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) as their Raíz Program Manager. Then, as PPFA’s Associate Director of Latinx Campaigns, Alfaro managed a national effort to organize and build power in the Latinx communities by fighting for reproductive rights, sex education, and access to care, culminating in a 2020 Latinx-focused electoral campaign through Planned Parenthood Votes. Prior to joining Community Justice, he was the founding Director of Latinx Leadership and Community Engagement at Everytown for Gun Safety, where he focused on uplifting the voices of Latinx communities impacted by gun violence. There, Alfaro was responsible for engaging with Latinx communities, partners, thought leaders, and influencers across the United States as well as developing grassroots organizing and electoral campaigns.
He serves in leadership roles on the Advisory Board for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, was selected as a 2022 Hispanics in Philanthropy Líder, and is a 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow. Alfaro received his B.S. in Psychology from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Conflict Resolution at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. He currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Adzi Vokhiwa, Vice President
Adzi Vokhiwa most recently served as the Federal Affairs Director at GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, where she designed and executed the organization’s federal legislative strategy to advance gun safety legislation, managed relationships with leadership offices in Congress, federal agencies, and the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and assisted with developing political strategy and PAC budgeting for federal incumbents. During her tenure, she was twice recognized as one of The Hill’s Top Grassroots Lobbyists.
Previously, she was the events manager at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies responsible for planning monthly bipartisan gatherings with Members of Congress, Cabinet and Administration officials, and leading policy experts as well as regional policy roundtables for state and municipal elected officials. Prior to her work at the Joint Center, Vokhiwa was the senior program associate at Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), where she managed WAND’s program for women state legislators.
Vokhiwa earned a BS in public policy from Georgia State University and an MPS in political management at The George Washington University. Raised in Atlanta, Vokhiwa now resides in the Washington, DC area with her family.
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Community Justice is a fiscally sponsored project housed at the Tides Center, a nonpartisan project, building power for and with communities of color to end gun violence.