Jen Deerinwater is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, bisexual, Two Spirit, multiply-disabled journalist, speaker, and organizer who covers the issues her communities face with an intersectional lens. Jen is the founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism, a former New Economies Reporting Project fellow, a current Disability Futures fellow, and the co-creator and co-host of the Decolonized News Hour on The Real News Network.
Jen is a contributor to Truthout and her work has been featured in a wide range of publications, including Bitch, Rewire.News, and In These Times. Jen is the co-editor of Sacred and Subversive and her work is included in the anthologies Disability Visibility and Two-Spirits Belong Here. She has been interviewed for numerous outlets on her work and The Advocate named Jen a 2019 Champion of Pride.
Jen received a B.A. from the University of Southern California in Gender Studies and Political Science with an emphasis on American Federal Government, a Graduate Certificate in Women in Politics and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and a M.S. in Communications Management from Simmons College.
While raised in rural areas of Oklahoma and Texas, and a nomad at heart, Jen currently lives on occupied Piscataway land known as Washington, D.C.
Follow Jen’s musings and news coverage via Linktree.
Areas of Interest
Indigenous affairs and tribal sovereignty.
Colonialism.
Environmental issues and justice.
Racial justice.
Disability justice.
Reproductive justice.
2LGBTQIA issues, in particular issues related to the bisexual and Two Spirit communities.
Violence against womxn.