Steve Brooks is an African-American writer, activist, and award-winning journalist originally from Southern California. He is currently imprisoned at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (formerly San Quentin Prison), where he co-founded the prison advocacy group The People In Blue (TPIB). TPIB wrote a report to transform San Quentin in to a center of healing. As a Policy Fellow with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Steve played an instrumental role in promoting California's Racial Justice Act for All and aided in ending race-based lockdowns in California prisons. Steve was the Editor-in-Chief of San Quentin News and Assistant Producer to the Ear Hustle and Uncuffed podcasts until he was fired for his advocacy work. He and TPIB have collaborated with Critical Resistance, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, and Planting Justice, and others on a number of projects.​