Purnell, Derecka

Biography

Derecka Purnell is a human rights lawyer, writer, and organizer. She received her JD from Harvard Law School, and works to end police and prison violence by providing legal assistance, research, and training to community-based organizations through an abolitionist framework. She has been published in and featured on The New York Times, NPR, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, The Appeal, Truthout, Slate, Boston Review, Huffington Post, Vox, and In These Times. Derecka is currently a columnist at The Guardian and co-founder of the National Museum of Social Justice and Contemporary Activism.