The Indianapolis Liberation Center is a hub where member organizations, people’s struggles, affiliated projects, and progressive activists connect like spokes. We are a growing collective of revolutionary fighters and dreamers from various segments of the working and oppressed classes who sacrifice our time and resources to the Center and the struggle. Our leading organizers are teachers, librarians, social workers, artists, and cultural workers, and most importantly, revolutionaries who help the many volunteers they represent keep our city’s liberated territory—our online and physical space–running and expanding.
Spencer Elliot
General Coordinator
As the General Coordinator of the Indianapolis Liberation Center, Spencer Elliot ensures operations run smoothly, from events to outreach. Spencer is a lead organizer with ANSWER Indiana, working to build a more just and equitable society through anti-war organizing and advocating for the rights and needs of marginalized communities. He previously worked as an English teacher, instilling a love of literature and critical thinking in his students. His family is central to everything he does and he is deeply committed to fostering a nurturing environment where his children can grow up to be thoughtful and engaged citizens.
His work and life philosophy demonstrate that change begins with both individual empowerment and collective action. His dedication to community and self-sufficiency is rooted in the belief that together, we can meet the needs of all people.
Contact Spencer at info@indyliberationcenter.org.
Stephen Lane
Liberation Store Manager
Stephen Lane manages the Liberation Center Store, where he maintains its day-to-day operations, ensures orders go out on time, responds to consumer inquiries, and oversees our expanding selection of material. Stephen, who works as an archivist, is a third-generation resident of Indianapolis with deep roots in the community and ties to the city’s workers, unions, and artists.
Stephen also serves a the treasurer of our member-organization, the Indiana Black Librarians Network.
Contact Stephen at store@indyliberationcenter.org.
Dani Abdullah
Community Outreach Coordinator
As the Center’s community outreach coordinator, Dani serves as a bridge between the Center, its member-organizations, allied groups, and the broader community.
Contact Dani at store@indyliberationcenter.org.
Derek Ford
Organizational Relations Director
Derek Ford, one of the Indianapolis Liberation Center’s founders, is an organizer, educational theorist, and teacher affiliated with the Hampton Institute, People’s Forum, Korea University (Tokyo), Liberation School, the International Manifesto Group, and other political-educational projects. Before moving to Indianapolis, Ford organized in D.C., Syracuse, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
Ford brings their experience organizing at the national and international levels to their volunteer role as Organizational Relations Director, cultivating relationships with those willing to build the unity needed for achieving liberation. He is routinely energized by working at the Center, where each new day and relationship gives him more evidence that the people will win in the end. They are on the Board of our member-organization, the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign.
Contact Derek at shaka@shakashakur.org.
Cecilia Gomez
Indianapolis Liberator Liaison
Cecilia Gomez is a social worker, organizer, and lifelong student of liberatory education. She is passionate about building community and fighting for material conditions that recognize the dignity and worth of all working-class people. In her role at the Indianapolis Liberator, she edits articles from local organizers and amplifies stories that connect the struggles of marginalized people in Indianapolis.
Cecilia approaches her work with the conviction that a better world is coming. Outside of the Center, she loves to spend her time in community, writing poetry, and taking long walks around the city.
Contact Cecilia at leads@indyliberationcenter.org.
Johnny Willems
Assistant Gallery Director
Johnny Willems (he/they) is an artist, social worker, and Buddhist practitioner based in Indianapolis. His work centers themes of grief, spirituality, and liberation through the mediums of printmaking, zinemaking, and community building. Johnny is a member of the Gluestick Zine Collective, a literary collective that provides educational resources to underserved communities in Indianapolis. He coordinates the Fonseca-Du Bois Gallery powered by member-organization Arte Mexicano en Indiana.
A Bachelor of Social Work graduate, Johnny works in the field of community mental health specializing in older adult populations. Johnny is a lay practitioner within the Kwan Um School of Zen and board member of the Empty Circle Zen Group.
Contact Johnny at leads@indyliberationcenter.org.