Benjamin Holda

Ben joined Beyond as a Legal Fellow in September of 2026 following his graduation from New York University School of Law, where he was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow and a recipient of the Holly Maguigan Social Justice Award. Prior to attending law school, Ben worked as a community organizer in numerous contexts, including as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, and a community defense and police accountability organizer in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

While in law school, Ben focused on developing the legal skills necessary to defend and support grassroots movements. He contributed to numerous civil rights lawsuits against the New York Police Department with the New York Civil Liberties Union, litigation against the Trump administration’s illegal immigration policies with the ACLU, mass defense efforts on behalf of student protestors across New York City, and holistic land defense efforts on behalf of indigenous tribes in Guyana. These efforts, amongst others, provide insight and inspiration to his work advocating on behalf of individuals and movements in Chicago.