Tierra Bradford – Pittsburgh

Tierra Bradford grew up as a military dependent with familial roots in Georgia and Louisiana. She attended Hampton University, a Historically Black University (HBCU) in Hampton, Virginia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, completed a pre-law program, and participated in the William R. Harvey Leadership Institute. Right after undergraduate school, she moved to Pittsburgh to attend the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law. It was during her first year in law school that Tierra solidified her interest in reforming the criminal legal system. During her tenure in law school, she interned with a Judge in the Family Division of the Fifth Judicial Court District, as well as, the Abolitionist Law Center. She was also a member of BLSA (Black Law Student Association) and a PLISF (Pitt Legal Income Sharing Foundation) Fellow, a program dedicated to supporting students working in Public Interest. Prior to joining the ACLU of Pennsylvania, she worked as a legal fellow at the national nonprofit organization Common Cause, working on democracy issues. While there, she worked on their Mass Incarceration Project, which focuses on issues at the intersection of Mass Incarceration and Democracy. She wrote a report about the racist history of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws and how they negatively impact our democracy today. Later on, she worked at Common Cause’s Maryland affiliate as a Policy Manager. In this role, she worked on organizing, coalition building, advocacy and lobbying around democracy issues. In her current role as a Criminal Justice Policy Advocate for ACLUPA, she works on the Campaign for Smart Justice. Her work mostly pertains to the western Pennsylvania region where she focuses on advocating for policy that works to decarcerate Pennsylvania. Additionally, her work focuses on educating Pennsylvanians about the racial and class bias in every facet of Pennsylvania’s criminal legal system. Tierra has an introverted personality and mostly enjoys media-related hobbies/Interests, especially pertaining to Black American culture. In her spare time, she loves to watch movies, read books, and discuss pop culture with friends.