Press Release

Contact:
Tripp Laino, 202-999-4273
tlaino@famm.org

FAMM welcomes Veda Ajamu as Justice Reform Fellow

WASHINGTON – FAMM President Kevin Ring announced today that Veda Ajamu will join the organization as a Justice Reform Fellow.

“We are thrilled to welcome Veda in this role. She is a tenacious advocate,” Ring said. “She knows what it is like to fight for and win a loved one’s release from an unjust sentence – and she’s not done yet. I know she will be a great inspiration to our families, many of whom are finding their voices as advocates.”

Ajamu, a longtime criminal justice reform advocate, serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives at the National Civil Rights Museum.

“I’m not a big talker, so advocating was a bit difficult for me in the beginning, but sometimes you have to speak up and speak out,” Ajamu said. “I want to be part of making a change. I am looking forward to working with other family members with loved ones in prison, and inspiring them to become advocates.”

Ajamu has worked at the National Civil Rights Museum since 2010. In addition to her work there, Veda passionately fought to reform unjust federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Her efforts resulted in freedom and justice for her brother, who served over 25 years of an original life sentence at the age of 20.

She also has served on the Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums for America Community Anchors (2021) and Wayfinder Foundation Community Activist Fellowship Program (2018) grant review panels. Ajamu is the recipient of Southwest Tennessee Community College 2020 Carter Godwin Woodson Award of Merit for her personal and professional work.

For nearly three decades, FAMM has united the voices of affected families, the formerly incarcerated, and a range of stakeholders and advocates to fight for a more fair and effective justice system. FAMM’s focus on ending a one-size-fits-all punishment structure has led to reforms to sentencing and prison policies at the state and federal level and is paving the way to programs that support rehabilitation for the 94% of all prisoners who will return to our neighborhoods one day.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safeguard taxpayer dollars and keep our communities safe. Founded in 1991, FAMM is helping transform America’s criminal justice system by uniting the voices of impacted families and individuals and elevating the issues all across the country.