Founder and CEO
She / Her / Hers
Sonya has been an anti-violence activist since she was 16 years old. During high school, she started an Amnesty International Community Group, and, while working on their global violence against women campaign, discovered her life’s work.
Before founding FreeFrom, she launched the Family Violence Appellate Project (“FVAP”) while earning her law degree at UC Berkeley. Based in Oakland, California, FVAP is the first and only organization in California to provide pro bono appellate legal services to survivors of intimate partner violence and has fundamentally transformed the legal landscape in California.
For her work in the field, Sonya was listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2017 For Law and Policy and is an Ashoka, Roddenberry, Draper Richards Kaplan and New America California fellow.
Sonya lives in Los Angeles with her wife and is discovering what it is to have hobbies in her 30s. When she’s not at the beach, she loves solving puzzles, hosting brunches and dinner parties, writing letters, collecting stationery, sending care packages, and helping her friends and loved ones start and grow their creative ventures.
Listen and read more from Sonya:
Girl Boss Radio podcast – “What an Astrology App Looks Like From the Inside with Chani Nicholas and Sonya Passi”
Lady Don’t Take No podcast – “Sonya Passi Goes to the Beach Every Damn Day”
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness podcast – “What’s The Cost Of Intimate Partner Violence? with Sonya Passi”
Cultures of Care feature
Let’s Make Work Human podcast – “Treating Humans Like Humans: It Works”
Forbes – “Investing in Survivor Wealth” article
Prosperity Now 2018 Summit – Building Financial Capability for Victims of Domestic Violence presentation