About me
Jo (they/them) serves as the Director of Coalitions and Outreach at OutVote and a Human Rights Studies M.A. student at Columbia University. As a Southern, queer, API activist with degrees in human rights, political science, and public policy, Jo is dedicated to advocacy and activism through work and education. They are passionate about numerous human rights issues, including LGBTQIA+ representation, racial equity, socioeconomic equality, and decolonial justice. In recent years, Jo created the “Queer Qollective”, a collection of projects aimed at increasing the well-being of LGBTQIA+ students, including housing, recordkeeping, and infrastructure policy at their alma mater. They have also written about the dangers of Christian nationalism and the importance of the Queer, Asian vote in elections over the last year. Today, Jo works for OutVote while finishing their thesis that focuses on the human rights implications of militourism, neoliberal racial capitalism, and settler colonialism in Occupied Hawai'i. With a strong background in community building, activism, and scholarship, Jo is committed to building bridges across communities and creating a stronger, unified platform that advocates for all marginalized peoples while challenging existing institutions of oppression.
