Shivana Jorawar, Co-Director of Jahajee Sisters (she/her, they/them)

Shivana is a queer, first-generation Guyanese American and intersectional feminist who believes in unapologetically speaking truth to power. She is a founding member and Co-Director of Jahajee Sisters, a survivor-centered organization committed to achieving gender justice in the Indo-Caribbean community through organizing, healing, the arts, and leadership development. Shivana has over 10 years of experience as a policy advocate, organizer, and storyteller. She has served as State Legislative Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights and directed federal policy advocacy at the National Abortion Federation. For over four years, she directed reproductive justice priorities for the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), running advocacy campaigns, leading coalitions, developing youth leadership, and serving as a voice for Asian American and Pacific Islander women in Washington, D.C. Her additional experience includes working with Sakhi for South Asian Women, where she led the organization’s first outreach effort in the Indo-Caribbean neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens. She has also served on the boards of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and Washington D.C.'s LGBTQ organization Khush DC. Her writing and commentary have been featured in many outlets, including The Hill, The American Prospect, Colorlines, the Nation, the Associated Press and the Harvard Asian American Law Journal. She is also a proud abortion storyteller with the We Testify project.

Originally from the Bronx, Shivana holds a B.A. in Political Science from Fordham University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in New York state. Follow Shivana on Twitter @shivspeaks and on Instagram @shivlandia.