About us
Inclusive International Indigenous Reporting & Storytelling
who we are
Crushing Colonialism is an Indigenous-led 501(c3) nonprofit in the so-called United States that uplifts Indigenous people through arts, media, and traditional storytelling while supporting those doing the work. We were founded in 2016 by Jen Deerinwater and are operated by Indigenous people working in a variety of storytelling fields across the world. We work to increase the pay and employment of Indigenous storytellers while also promoting their work, providing funding for media and arts projects, and increasing access to professional representation.
Crushing Colonialism’s mission is to uplift and tell the stories of Indigenous people through media and traditional storytelling. We produce international reporting and organizing to inform and empower marginalized community members, create professional opportunities, and advocate for the just funding and employment of Native artists, media workers and storytellers. In doing this we control our narratives in order to crush colonialism.
Crushing Colonialism tells the stories of Indigenous people to create a world that values and honors Indigeneity.
Background, mission, Vision ASL
American Sign Language interpreter, Amber Braithwaite, Concierge Interpreting LLC (Hunkpati Dakota descendant from Crow Creek Sioux Tribe at Fort Thompson South Dakota)
the staff
Jen DeerinWater
Founding Executive Director
Jen Deerinwater is a bisexual, Two-Spirit, multiply-disabled, citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and an award-winning journalist and organizer who covers the myriad of issues their communities face with an intersectional lens. Jen is the founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism, an Indigenous storytelling, arts, and media non-profit organization in the so-called US. Jen has been awarded several fellowships, including the 2019 New Economies Reporting Project Fellowship, 2020 Disability Futures Fellowship, and the 2024 Disability Visibility fellowship at the Unexpected Shape Writing Academy.
Jen received a B.A. from the University of Southern California in Gender Studies and Political Science with an emphasis on American Federal Government, a Graduate Certificate in Women in Politics and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and a M.S. in Communications Management from Simmons College.
Jen’s writing and photography has been featured in a wide range of publications, including Truthout, Eater, Rewire.News, and In These Times. Jen’s writing is included in the anthologies Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty First Century, We Organize to Change Everything: Fighting for Abortion Access and Reproductive Justice, Property Will Cost Us the Earth: Direct Action and the Future of the Global Climate Movement, Handbook on Disability: Critical Thought and Social Change in a Globalizing World, and Crip Authorship: Disability as Method. Jen is also hard at work on two books, including a 2SLGTBTQIA+ multi-faith anthology, Sacred and Subversive: Queer Voices on Faith and Spirituality (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) due out in 2026.
Jen has been interviewed for numerous outlets on their work and The Advocate named Jen a 2019 Champion of Pride. Jen is also a 2022 member of the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.
Jen has served on numerous boards and councils throughout the years including the Ending the HIV Epidemic among Urban Natives Community Advisory Board with Johns Hopkins University and Native American Lifelines. Jen is currently a member of the Disability Community Advisory Group for the first of its kind LGBTQ Museum in New York City. They serve as a member of the Rooted Together: Building Power through Diasporic Dialogue cohort. Jen is also a member of the board of directors for the Disabled Journalist Association and a Senior Advisor for the Disability Culture Lab.
While a nomad at heart and raised in rural areas of their nation’s reservation in Oklahoma and in rural Texas, Jen currently lives on Piscataway land known as Washington, D.C.
DeAnna Rhodes
Program Director
DeAnna Rhodes (she/her) is a content creator, event producer, Black culture devotee, production manager for several creative spaces in the DC Metro Area, and the founder of Sunny Dee Productions.
The mission of Sunny Dee is to facilitate connecting Black people with their heritage, create safe spaces for Black folks to explore themselves and their interests, and cultivate community – all things she feels are necessary in processing our collective hurt, helping each other heal, and moving towards our full liberation. DeAnna is an unabashed nerd, a womanist, and a proud alum of Howard University.
Isabel María Riofrío Miranda
Editor-in-Chief, The Magazine
Isabel María Riofrío Miranda is joining Crushing Colonialism as Editor-in-Chief of The Magazine. She is a seasoned communications professional with ten years of experience in public relations and journalism.is joining Crushing Colonialism as Editor-in-Chief of The Magazine. She is a seasoned communications professional with ten years of experience in public relations and journalism. is joining Crushing Colonialism as Editor-in-Chief of The Magazine. She is a seasoned communications professional with ten years of experience in public relations and journalism.
She obtained her Master’s degree in International Journalism at the City University of New York in 2015. She is fluent and has worked professionally in English, Spanish, and French. She is based in Quito, Ecuador, where she lives with her Frenchie named Yaku, meaning “water” in Quechua
Natalia Molina Barreto
Social Media Manager
Natalia is a descendant of the Muisca indigenous people (muysc cubun) from Une, Cundinamarca in Colombia.
She was born in Bogotá, received a B.A. from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Social Communication with an emphasis on Advertising, and a M.Sc. in Media, Communication and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Natalia has worked with indigenous peoples of Colombia and the Amazonia, and has specialized in the strategic communications of international cooperation projects for environmental protection, adaptation to climate change and sustainability.
Shana Baumgartner
The Magazine, Editorial Director
Shana Baumgartner (Enrolled Oglala Lakota) joined Crushing Colonialism in 2024 as Editorial Director of The Magazine. Shana has had a 25+ year career in the field of education, spending the last 15 years in educational publishing holding various roles such as writer, senior editor, instructional designer, and editorial manager. She is well-versed in end-to-end print and digital publishing and has managed dozens of publications from concept to print, designed and scripted slide presentations, planned and produced videos, created interactive online courses, and more.
Born and raised in California, Shana earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2002. She earned her M.Ed. from UCLA, with an emphasis on social justice education. She has lived in England, New York City, and now resides in Pennsylvania, with her spouse, three children, two dogs, and four cats. In addition to her work in publishing, she also teaches yoga online and in local studios.
She is an active member in her community, an advocate for neurodiverse populations (especially children), and generally a champion for justice, equity, and inclusivity.
Our Board Members
Oswin Latimer
Oswin Latimer (Fae/They) is the treasurer for Crushing Colonialism. Fae is an Autistic, Choctaw, Trans, Queer Activist and educator with a long history of working against Supremacism in Faer Disability Justice work.
Oswin has extensive experience doing policy work in education, healthcare, and employment through an intersectional lens.
Oswin is the founding director of Foundations for Divergent Minds (FDM), an intersectional, Autistic-run organization that focuses on improved quality of life for Autistic people, particularly those who are multiply marginalized by colonialist systems. Fae also acts as an Autistic consultant and provides anti-ableist education and support for dismantling oppressive practices that particularly harm disabled, 2SLGBTQIA+, and BIPoC folx.
Oswin has participated in many presentations, panels, and podcasts over the last decade, including New Jersey Autism Center for Excellence, Penn State TRIO training, and “Two Sides of the Spectrum” podcast. Faer activism and work was also featured in Citizen Autistic (a documentary).
In addition to faer activism, Oswin is most proud of faer children, who range from elementary aged to young adult and who are all neurodivergent. Oswin has applied (and applies) faer work into advocacy for and alongside faer kids, which improved their academic support and transition out of school services.
Johnnie Jae
Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw) is a journalist, artist, speaker, and the founder of Red Pop! News, a media outlet that celebrates Indigenous joy, pop culture, and power through stories that honor the brilliance of Indigenous creativity across generations and reclaiming the contributions too often erased, ignored, or appropriated.
Johnnie has led and contributed to numerous national efforts to uplift Indigenous voices and narratives throughout their career. They founded A Tribe Called Geek, a groundbreaking, award-winning platform celebrating Indigenous geek culture and STEM throughout its 11-year run. They also co-founded Not Your Mascots and LiveIndigenousOK and was a founding member of the Fan Organizer Coalition. Johnnie served on the Culture Forward National Advisory Editorial Board, which developed strength-based mental health resources for Native youth. They also served as a Co-Chair for the March for Racial Justice, helping mobilize thousands across the U.S. in a call for racial equity and justice.
Johnnie is a Board Member of Crushing Colonialism and a Coordinating Council Member and Co-Lead of the Sharing the Story Committee for Walking in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors, an initiative focused on healing, reconnection, and truth-telling for the Otoe-Missouria people. They are also a registered artist with the Choctaw Nation and a featured artist with Eighth Generation, where their work celebrates the beauty, strength, and survivance of Indigenous creativity.
Through every platform they build and every story they tell, Johnnie Jae is creating space for Indigenous futures that are bold, joyful, and indomitable.