Emerson Fellow
Lexie Holden
27th Class, 2020-2021
Lexie Holden graduated from the University of Chicago in 2020 with degrees in Political Science and Germanic Studies, as well as a minor in Human Rights. While studying at Chicago, she served as Special Projects Manager for State Senator Kwame Raoul where she worked, among many things, on combating food deserts in Chicago's South Side. Lexie also has done anti-hunger work in Seattle, Washington, with Pike Place Market, and wrote an article for Human Rights magazine on food justice as economic justice while interning with the American Bar Association's Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice in Washington, D.C. Lexie is also a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Field placement: Native American Agriculture Fund
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lexie completed her field work at the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her research focused on the Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) agents’ experiences, successes, challenges, needs, and community impact. Lexie's work examines Native American agriculture through an assets-based lens in order to showcase the resiliency and strength of Indian Country.
Policy placement: Food Research & Action Center
Washington, D.C.
Lexie Holden worked for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the nation's leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States. During her time, Lexie worked for the SNAP and Legal Unit. There, she researched and published a number of FRAC Chats about various SNAP-related topics, including Disaster-SNAP, SNAP for college students, the SNAP gap, and the latest SNAP retailer redemption data. Lexie was also able to complete an internal FRAC brief on the importance of ending the prohibition on simultaneous use of SNAP and FDPIR.