NEW JERSEY – Imani Oakley, Esq. former Legislative Director of NJ Working Families, joins #EyesOnNJ to host her 17th episode of “Upfront Now!” today at 5:00PM.
Imani will touch upon
- NJ Politicians failed to get it done.
- The people voted YES on legalized marijuana.
- Interview with Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU-NJ
- Interview with Jason Krychiw, Vice-Chair of PDNJ
Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU-NJ
Jason Krychiw was born and raised in Union, NJ & a product of the Union public school system and class of 2008 UHS graduate. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in biotechnology and Master’s in Microbiology from Rutgers University and is a lecturer in Microbiology at Kean University
- Chairman of Union’s Alliance Against Drug Abuse (2014-2015)
- Member of Union Board of Health and Recreational Advisory Committee (2015)
- Part of the Fairway Drive and Vauxhall and Vicinity Civic Associations
- Founder of various community projects like Santa at the Door, Snow Angels free shoveling service, and Union’s first resident-run Earth Day clean-up
- Community and civic advocate for Union residents
- Writes and promotes Closer Look online business spotlight series to support local business
Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU-NJ
Amol Sinha serves as the Executive Director of the ACLU-NJ, having taken the helm in 2017. He brings to the ACLU-NJ a vision to make the organization a more collaborative, accessible resource for all of New Jersey, and he strives to create an even better, even more welcoming Garden State.
Prior to joining the ACLU-NJ, Amol was a policy advocate at the Innocence Project, where he led state-level policy campaigns nationwide to address wrongful convictions. From 2010-2015, Amol was the director of the Suffolk County Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, where he led efforts to defend and promote the constitutional rights of all Suffolk County residents, particularly around policing and criminal justice, immigrants’ rights, and education reform. At the NYCLU, Amol worked on legislation, litigation, and community-based advocacy, and gained a deep understanding of the need to work collaboratively with community members, advocates, and government officials in order to advance policy.
Amol is also an adjunct professor at Marymount Manhattan College, where he has taught courses on constitutional law, civil rights, media law, and criminal justice. Additionally, Amol is the president of the South Asian Bar Association of New York and co-chair of the public interest committee of the South Asian Bar Association of North America.
Amol holds a B.A. in journalism and economics from New York University, and a law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where he was a Public Service Scholar. Most importantly, Amol grew up in Lawrenceville, NJ, and is a proud product of Lawrence Township Public Schools. His role at the ACLU-NJ merges two central passions: advocating for constitutional rights and New Jersey.
Imani Oakley, Esq.
Imani R. Oakley, Esq was the Legislative Director & Regional Organizer for New Jersey Working Families. Imani is also an alum of New Leaders Council-New Jersey and is currently fulfilling the role of NLC-NJ Institute Co-Chair where she is responsible for constructing and facilitating a six-month curriculum for New Jersey’s emerging leaders.
Recently, Imani was voted-in as the Political Director for the Young Democrats of America’s Woman’s Caucus. Imani also currently holds the position of Northern Vice Chair for the New Jersey Young Democrats and was previously the Executive Chair of the Essex County Young Democrats. Imani is the former Deputy Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake and has also served as a Constituent Advocate for Senator Cory A. Booker where her portfolio consisted of affordable housing, mortgages, taxes, student loans, consumer protection, pensions, and postal service issues. In 2018, Imani was honored to be the Keynote Speaker for the Montclair Branch NAACP’s 102nd Thurgood Marshall Freedom Fund Dinner and Awards Ceremony where she spoke about the theme “Face the Hate and VOTE” with an emphasis on protecting the voting process for the nation’s most vulnerable communities.
Imani has also been a strong advocate for criminal justice reform. In 2017, Imani was a panel speaker for the 2017 International Drug Policy Reform Conference where she spoke about her experience in effecting D.C.’s local marijuana legalization laws and what students can do to effect drug policy reform on their campus and in their communities. Furthering her endeavors to create positive change in drug policy reform, Imani was invited to participate in the 2016 Minority Cannabis Business Association’s Policy Summit where she helped draft model legislation for the legalization of marijuana in a manner that promotes access to the legal cannabis industry for marginalized communities.
As an unyielding advocate for the systemically powerless, in 2015, Imani was a legal observer during the anti-police brutality protests in Baltimore, Maryland, where she ensured that the First Amendment rights of protestors were not infringed upon. During this same year, Imani spent her summer working for the South African non-profit, Ndifuna Ukwazi, where she collected affidavits on property and sewage conditions from South African communities that suffered under Apartheid and are still experiencing Apartheid’s harsh effects, even in its aftermath.
Imani earned her Bachelor’s degree from Howard University, a Master of Arts degree from New York University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. While enrolled in law school, Imani was enrolled in the Legislative Legal Clinic and drafted policy reports for non-profit organizations focused on criminal justice reform. As the Captain of Oral Advocacy for the Goler Teal Butcher International Moot Court Team at Howard, Imani distinguished herself among national and international competitors as the 2016 Best Oralist at the Susan J. Ferrell Intercultural Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Through her passion for both policy and her community, Imani hopes to continue to be a servant of the people and a trailblazer for progress.
