Antoinette Ratcliffe

Executive Director. Initiate Justice

Antoinette is the Executive Director of Initiate Justice, a CA-based nonprofit that works to activate the political power of people directly impacted by incarceration. Antoinette’s passion stems from lived experiences, as she fights for the freedom of her brothers currently incarcerated in CA prisons. The impact of having incarcerated brothers for a significant portion of her life led Antoinette to join Initiate Justice in 2019 in hopes of affecting more significant change.

She has since worked alongside fellow impacted community members across CA centering the voices of people currently incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, and their loved ones, in efforts to achieve systemic change through policy advocacy. Antoinette has facilitated numerous 12-week training programs to engage system-impact people in policy change; presented Initiate Justice’s work in a variety of classrooms and conferences all over the state of California; and organized alongside hundreds to advocate for policy changes rooted in humanity, equity, and community. She is passionately committed to amplifying the experiences of those most impacted by the criminal legal system, and the many intersecting social systems.