My Goals in Research
What does it look like for us to be free?
The questions that are most life-giving to me and bring me back to this work are ones of community and liberation. One of my practices is to center in my declaration/in my commitments.*
I am committed:
- To learn new ways of relationship – to ourselves, to our bodies, to other life (human and more-than-human), to Mother Earth.
- To imagining and dreaming (both as an individual and in community) new ways of being.
- To fostering queer joy and finding power with each other instead of power over others.
- To building safety in our bodies and in our environments so we can heal and be authentically us.
Photo Cred: Victoria Alford, Undergraduate Thesis Presentation, April 2024
*This concept of centering in your declaration/commitment is from generative somatics.
LGBTQ+ Survivors of Sexual Assault
As a queer and trans rape survivor myself, I understand the shame, grief, and rage that come with not being believed. My research with LGBTQ+ survivors focuses on reclaiming joy and authenticity, helping us heal and build liberatory communities.
Storytelling and Imaginings
Storytelling and imaginaries can be essential tools for envisioning creative futures. By exploring the possibilities that emerge through imaginative practices, I examine how they contribute to personal and collective healing, offering pathways for liberation and a reimagining of the world as it could be.
Embodiment for Healing and Social Change
I explore embodiment as a pathway for healing and social change, seeing the body not only as a site of oppression but also as a source of liberation. Through embodied practices, I investigate how we can foster transformative change and collective resilience.
Palestine and Ongoing Genocides
My research and praxis has also shifted to explore the ongoing genocide in Palestine and its connections to other global struggles against systemic oppression, violence, and erasure. These atrocities stem from and support systems of harm (colonialism, imperialism, white supremacy, racial capitalism).
How can we show up for each other? For our communities? For our world? How can collective action have an impact?
No one is free until Palestine is free.