ABOUT | The Black Inmate Commissary Fund

ABOUT US

The Black Inmate Commissary Fund (BICF) is built upon the foundation of abolition of the current carceral state, which disproportionately affects Black communities. BICF functions as a mutual aid organization in Atlanta, Georgia, providing aid and programming to Black individuals and families affected by mass incarceration and homelessness.

BICF redistributes resources and empowers currently and formerly incarcerated through:

Commissary deposits
Book donations
Family assistance stipends
Re-entry and rehabilitation support and empowerment programs

Founded in June 2020 by Angel Alicea, BICF launched its first fundraiser in which the organization utilized crowdfunding platforms to raise and redistribute $50,000 to currently and formerly incarcerated Black people, as well as their families and others affected by mass incarceration.

Past and current BICF partners include entities such as Matter of Trust, Emory Medical School, Atlanta Public Schools, Lakewood Church of Christ, Flourish Yoga, Gangstas to Growers, Mary Kay, Community Roots Clinic, Sunnis Kitchen Table, and Love Beyond Walls.

The Black Inmate Commissary Fund LLC mission is to divest from the carceral state by reinvesting in the Black incarcerated community through building agency, equity, opportunity, and rehabilitation.

Our Mission

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

MEET THE TEAM

Founder + Executive Director

Angel Gabrielle Alicea (she/her/ella)

is a community organizer, abolitionist and the Founder and Executive Director of The Black Inmate Commissary Fund. Angel began organizing around seven years ago as a youth organizer while in high school due to the many intersections she exists in, Angel has been able to organize in a variety of capacities, which has led to working directly against the mass incarceration and enslavement of Black people in the United States.

Patrice E. Fenton, PhD (she/her/hers)

is the Director of Healing Justice at BICF and serves as Founder and Chief Lightworker at SōlWorks Collective, an organization dedicated to catalyzing communities of color toward fostering self-mastery and collective power through healing arts. A leader in identity-responsive research, Dr. Fenton is an equity-centered change strategist, with expertise in leadership development, teacher education, and centering wellness in the workplace. Dr. Fenton is an adjunct assistant professor at Hunter College, and a Board member of South Bronx Community Charter High School, the Latinx Education Collaborative and Disruptive Partners. She is also a proud Brooklyn, NY native and mom to Jair Asad and Haile Masani.

Joanna "Joa" Jin Douglas (she/they)

is the Development Director. Joa is based in Philadelphia, PA, and founded Funding for Social Change. They have a strong background in managing projects, from running a startup competition funding social entrepreneurs. She currently teaches social entrepreneurship and economic development at Florida State University, and works as a freelance grant writing and social enterprise consultant, helping individuals brainstorm, plan, fund, and launch their ideas to create social change. You can now find her roleplaying a woman spiraling into madness in the midst of a revolution on the comedy improv D&D podcast Dice Funk.

Linnae Keys (she/they)

is a black queer woman based in Philadelphia, PA. Linnae provides administrative support and strategic planning. They have a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and a minor in Black Studies. They are a mental health advocate and a justice-oriented person. She also has experience in Spanish translations and Strategic Planning.

Nia Rickman (she/her/hers)

is the From Bars to Bars Project Director. With over 5 years experience in the entertainment industry, Nia is the Founder of D.A.M.N. Entertainment and has a bachelor's degree in Spanish and International Studies from Spelman College. She also obtained her Music Industry Essentials certificate from The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She has experience in Management, Executive Assistance, and Artist Relations.

Christopher Williams (all pronouns used respectfully)

is a strategic consultant, project manager, and Black-queer liberation advocate originally from the West Coast and currently living in Atlanta, GA. Christopher is a co-founder of BankBlackUSA, an organization that promotes Black financial cooperatives and other Black-centered financial institutions with an emphasis on communal over individual wealth.

Cait Reeves (she/her/hers)

is a strategic-thinking archivist and artist from Atlanta, GA, with over ten years experience in donor relations, project administration, and database management. She has a BA in Theater from Emory University, an MA in History and an MS in Library and Information Science, both from Simmons College. As a librarian, Cait provided support to BICF from its beginning, and continues to advise for the BICF Bring Us Books program, shifting our work from solely sending books on Black liberation into prisons to doing battle with the strict laws in Georgia surrounding books in prisons.

Ting (they/them/theirs)

is a self-taught artist based in Atlanta, GA (Mvskoke land). Their art is primarily inspired by their experiences navigating existence as a Chinese, queer, non-binary femme. Their work aims to amplify the struggles of oppressed communities, provide radical education, and show the beauty of collective resilience through vibrant colors, elements of surrealism, and portraiture. Her work includes all art and graphics used on BICF marketing materials and resource guides, and you can find more of her work on her website Art of Ting.