Hamdiya Cooks-Abdullah has over 25 years of experience working on issues facing women in prison. Having served 20 years in the federal prison system, while incarcerated, Hamdiya led Muslim women prisoners in the struggle to honor their religious practices, including headgear and fasting. She was also a key organizer for Black Culture Workshops at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, CA for over 15 years. At LSPC, Hamdiya is responsible for day to day administrative duties. She is the former director of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. Hamdiya holds a B.A. degree from Columbia College. She published an article entitled “Islam in Prison” in Prison Legal News and an essay profiling the lives of three women in prison in the book Schooling the Generations in the Politics of Prison.