What started as a nice salary bump in a career path has turned in a 27-year commitment to justice. As AFJ’s longest-serving employee, Director of Administration, Alicia Peyton wakes up every day grateful for the impact she can have contributing AFJ’s work.
For Alicia, what keeps her going through the numerous human resources, benefits, and every other administrative management tasks, is knowing that she is part of an organization that provides a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves. “AFJ is out there in the trenches getting the word out to help folks understand what the courts mean in their lives,” Alicia said.
This has had a profound impact on her life too. She notes that before she started working at AFJ, she didn’t think about the significant impact courts at all levels have on her life.
As you can imagine, Alicia has thousands of memories from over the years. But the one that stands out most occurred in her very first year. You can hear the passion in her voice as she recounts the story of AFJ helping an immigrant who had lived in the United States for more than 20 years, only to be falsely detained when he tried to reenter the country after spending some time visiting his family.
In 1996, Congress drastically changed immigration law — many called them inhumane — and AFJ was there to help one of the many impacted people. The Alliance took on a case for a man named Jesus Collado, (Alicia says she’ll never forget that name), after a friend reached out through AFJ founder Nan Aron for help. For several months, AFJ spread the word about his case through law students across the country. His case was featured in the AFJ First Monday video series, With Liberty and Justice for All. The powerful video showed the strong character of Collado and laid out how the misguided immigration laws had put a man in a maximum-security prison due to a minor offense that under the new law was now considered an aggravated felony.
The moment AFJ helped Collado get released has stayed with Alicia all these years. “That helped me realize personally what The Alliance can do for those people who can’t speak for themselves. The Alliance has a powerful voice.”
Alicia has also been through many tough times at AFJ, and she says she realized due to the type of work we do, there won’t always be wins that we can see but, in the end, folks know AFJ was in the fight, and you can always have hope. Her advice to her colleagues is to learn about AFJ’s history and get to know as many people as possible because they are excited and committed to the work.
Outside of work, if you’re looking for a place to chill with her, that’s simple: water. Get Alicia anywhere near water and she is at peace, relaxing and watching the waves. As she contemplates her professional and personal life, she simply wants folks to know of her love and compassion for God and family.