Ericka Sanders loves Indianapolis. She was born and raised on the North Side and is a proud North Central Panther. A writer at heart, Ericka spent eight years as a journalist at The Indianapolis Recorder covering everything from the Indiana Pacers to writing an award winning series on the historic Ransom Place neighborhood to interviewing her favorite authors including the late E. Lynn Harris and BebeMoore Campbell.

At The Recorder, Ericka learned lessons that she used when she organized the first father daughter dance inside an Indiana prison facility in 2014. Lessons such as the importance of community, compassion and being a voice for the voiceless. Being that voice led to the creation of You Yes You! Project. A nonprofit Ericka created in 2016 with a mission to build relationships between incarcerated fathers and their daughters through programming inside prison facilities which includes fathers daughter dances, Halloween parties, book clubs and workshops designed for the fathers to introduce them to organizations focused on re-entry and rehabilitation. You Yes You! Project programs are currently at Putnamville Correctional Facility. She is looking forward to expanding her programs to other facilities in the future.

Ericka’s guilty pleasure is chewy, fruity candy. Her favorite music is hip-hop. She loves re-runs of Living Single, King of Queens, Everybody Hates Chris, A Different World and Soul Food. A mother of two, Ericka named her daughter after Lauryn Hill and her son is named after his dad Christopher (and the Notorious B.I.G.). She’s a proud wife to her favorite person in the world.