ABOUT JULIE

Julie (they/them) is an Asian-American queer, & disabled educator living on ancestral Neshnabé lands. Julie teaches high school social studies, organizes with A Just Chi & Education Workers for Palestine - Chicago, & creates art for important causes in their free time. Julie was awarded an Abolitionist Teaching Network Queer Educator grant in 2021. They live on the South Side of Chicago with their wife and dog.

Julie, a white nonbinary person with shoulder-length brown hair, is smiling into the distance. They are sitting on a stool, holding a sketchbook that is open to some flowers. They are wearing a green shirt, black jeans, and yellow Vans.

LIBERATORY VISION

In all work, dreaming, & collaborations, Julie strives to move closer to their vision of a liberatory future. That future includes an end of capitalism, land back to Indigenous stewards from Turtle Island to Falasteen, reparations for survivors of state-sanctioned violence, abolition of the prison industrial complex, free housing & health care for all, the end of borders, equitably funded public education, celebrations of all queer & trans identities, transformative justice, and, above all, communities of care. Central to that future is Black, Indigenous, queer, trans, intersex, fat, disabled, & neurodivergent liberation.

LIBERATORY FAMILY

Julie’s work is only possible because of the family that supports them, particularly:

  • Ama (they/she, Julie’s wife), who is a photographer, storyteller, & artist

  • Laurie (she/her, Julie’s sister), who is a data analyst & transit activist working on projects such as Ghost Buses & organizing in her neighborhood with the Rogers Park Free Store

  • Katie (she/her, Julie’s mom), who doesn’t have an internet presence but is essential to their work

  • Erick (he/him, friend), who is going to disrupt the medical system for years to come!

  • as well as Nina, Jack, & Madison!

Julie and Ama, two white nonbinary people, kiss in the aisle. A diverse crowd cheers for them. Julie wears mehndi and a white jumpsuit. Ama wears a white wedding dress.

Photo by Ally Almore

LIBERATORY INSPIRATIONS

Julie’s work is only possible because of the ancestors they have learned from, including (but not limited to):

  • Audre Lorde

  • bell hooks

  • Karen Lewis

  • Marsha P Johnson

  • Paulo Freire

  • Sylvia Rivera

Julie’s work is only possible because of the living writers & organizers they have learned from, including (but not limited to!):

LIBERATORY ARTISTS

Julie’s work is only possible because of the artists they admire & learn from, including (but not limited to!):