Robert Rooks (organizer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Rooks is a strategist, movement leader, and chief executive officer of Reform Alliance.[1][2]
Rooks grew up in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.[3] After the crack epidemic took root in the neighborhood, his mother relocated their family to DeSoto, Texas.[4] During these years Rooks lost multiple friends to violence.[5] These early experiences led to his involvement in social justice work. Rooks received his undergraduate degree at Prairie View A&M before attending University of Connecticut for his Master of Social Work.[4]
Career
Rooks got his start in community organizing in Connecticut, where he knocked on doors and built coalitions to advocate for policy change.[4] There, he helped pass legislation to eliminate disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine, making Connecticut the first state in the nation to do so.[6][7] Rooks served as the first Criminal Justice Director of the NAACP,[8] where during his tenure the organization called for an end to the war on drugs.[9] Rooks also served as the organizing director for Californians for Safety and Justice, and as the CEO for Alliance for Safety and Justice, which he co-founded in 2016 alongside Lenore Anderson.[10][11][12]
Rooks organized the ‘Yes on 47’ campaign to help pass 2014 California Proposition 47, a ballot initiative that reclassified certain low-level felonies as misdemeanors.[13][14] In Illinois, Rooks helped pass the Neighborhood Safety Act, which expanded access to trauma recovery services for crime survivors and incentivized people in prison to participate in rehabilitation programs.[15] Rooks also served on the executive committee of 2018 Florida Amendment 4, which passed with 64% of the vote and restored voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million Florida residents.[16][17]
In 2021, Rooks was appointed CEO of Reform Alliance, an organization working to reform the criminal justice system by changing probation and parole.[18] In his work with REFORM, he has focused on underemployment and economic disparities resulting from incarceration, probation, and parole.[19] He advocates for reform as a solution to labor shortages and a catalyst for economic growth.[20] He has spoken about a “second chance shortage” in the job market and advocated for second chance hiring as a solution.[21] While at REFORM, Rooks has organized large job fairs at NBA arenas that are open to people with records.[22][23]