Arti Walker-Peddakotla (she/they) is a 2022 Soros Justice Fellow, law student, and former Oak Park Village Trustee. As a local elected official, and cofounder of community organizing group Freedom to Thrive Oak Park, Arti organized abolitionist efforts in Oak Park, IL to fight against the use of carceral technology, defund the police, and remove police from schools. As a current 4L, JD candidate at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law Arti co-created the LAW156: Abolition and Movement Lawyering course. Arti serves on the board of AboutFace:Veterans Against the War, is an advisory board member of Lucy Parsons Labs, and serves on the Public Safety Steering Committee for Local Progress, where she previously was a board member. Arti has previous work experience in technology as a Director of Engineering and Senior Product Manager and as a graduate research student in Microbiology and Immunology. Arti served in the U.S. Army from 2000-2006. Arti has a B.S. in Biology, and a M.S. in Microbiology and Immunology. Arti’s writing has been featured in the New York Times, Common Dreams, Newsweek, and the Chicago Tribune. Arti is dedicated to building a world where we all have the freedom to thrive.