TW: sexual assault, domestic violence, and abuse.

For our fourth episode we had our lovely friend, Jenny, join the pod! Jenny Fierro is a writer, student, and advocate who has dedicated her professional career to aiding survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human-trafficking. A current MA student in the Gender and Women’s Studies program at UW-Madison, she hopes to use Gloria Anzaldúa’s work as a guiding force for her research: how to care for Latina women beyond knowing Spanish. In her spare time she enjoys reading, storytelling, and building relationships with community organizations and members.

First, we asked her how she was introduced to activism and advocacy, and what those moments of clarity were in her realizing this was the work she wanted to do. Next, Jenny talked about her transition into grad school, and the differences in how she's seen these topics handled in the classroom in academia versus out in the field with the people who are actually being affected by these issues. Last, we chat about what Jenny is looking forward to seeing emerge in these spaces as the field continues to grow.

The Brown Girls’ Journal is a bi-weekly podcast where two long-distance best friends turn their entries into conversations. This podcast was written and produced by Rodlyn Mae Banting and Anuska Dhar. Audio edited by Anuska Dhar and marketing done by Rodlyn Mae Banting. Our logo was illustrated by Molly Caroline Designs, and all music is courtesy of Epidemic Sound. You can get to know us a little better on Instagram and Twitter (@brwngrlsjournal), where we’ll be sharing fun behind the scenes and continuing the discussion.

Happy listening!

Jenny: Insta @furiosafierro (personal) @gws_103 (class that Jenny teaches)

Rodlyn: Twitter @fmnstmelodrama

Anuska: Insta / Twitter / YouTube @anuskadhar