About me
Jo (they/them) serves as Director of Coalitions and Outreach at OutVote while pursuing a Master's degree in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University. As a Southern, queer, Asian Pacific Islander activist with advanced degrees in human rights, political science, and public policy, they bring intersectional perspectives to advocacy work spanning LGBTQIA+ representation, racial equity, socioeconomic equality, and decolonial justice.
Through their academic and professional work, Jo demonstrates a commitment to both grassroots organizing and scholarly analysis. They created the "Queer Qollective" at their alma mater—a comprehensive collection of projects aimed at increasing LGBTQIA+ student wellbeing through housing, recordkeeping, and infrastructure policy improvements. This initiative reflects their approach to systemic change that addresses both immediate needs and long-term structural barriers.
Jo's recent writing has examined critical contemporary issues including the dangers of Christian nationalism and the significance of the queer Asian vote in electoral politics, demonstrating how their scholarship connects to urgent political realities. Their current thesis research focuses on the human rights implications of militourism, neoliberal racial capitalism, and settler colonialism in Occupied Hawaiʻi, exploring how these systems intersect to impact marginalized communities.
With extensive experience in community building, activism, and scholarship, Jo is committed to creating bridges across communities while building unified platforms that advocate for all marginalized peoples. Their work challenges existing institutions of oppression through both direct action and academic analysis, recognizing that sustainable change requires both immediate advocacy and deeper systemic understanding.
Through their role at OutVote and continued academic work, Jo continues to advance intersectional approaches to human rights that center the experiences of numerous marginalized communities.
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