India Walton was born raised and educated in Buffalo, NY. India fought with her mother against mandatory minimums as an adolescent in the mid- and late 1990’s. After becoming a registered nurse, she fought for workers and women’s reproductive rights as a union member leader. India is currently a resident of the Fruit Belt neighborhood, and after graduating Open Buffalo’s inaugural class of Emerging Leaders in 2015, she worked with her Fruit Belt family to win the first residential parking permit system and incorporate the first community-controlled land trust in the city of Buffalo. India joined Open Buffalo in 2017 as a community organizer for its Justice and Opportunity campaigns, focusing on criminal justice and police reform.