Feminist Crush

Ellen Allen is a mother, wife, daughter, and lifelong activist who seeks justice for all through her work as Executive Director of West Virginia's Covenant House.

Margaret Chapman Pomponio is Executive Director of WV FREE, a reproductive health, rights, and justice organization that works every day to for West Virginia women and families to improve education on reproductive options, increase access to affordable birth control, reduce teen pregnancy, improve adolescent health and protect personal decision-making, including the decision of whether or when to have a child.

Shayla Leftridge was born and raised in Oakland, California. She was raised by three loving parents: a stepfather who is a retired teacher, a mother who is also a retired teacher and vice principal, and a father who is a retired Oakland motorcycle police officer. Her family has deep roots in activism and social justice. Today, she lives in West Virginia where she is heavily involved in social activism and a professional vocalist in the vibrant local music scene.

Rev. Kayla was the Contract Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston, West Virginia. Today, she's the Minister of Congregational Life at All Souls Unitarian in Indianapolis, Indiana. She believes we are all connected, and that our task here is to repair the breaks that keep us from ourselves, one another, Spirit, and a just world.

Valerie Woody is a space nerd, humanist, atheist, feminist, queer transgender lesbian, polamorous, writer, activist, and professional troublemaker.

Kaleidoscope WV, a consulting firm founded by four young, queer women (Chela Barajas, Caitlin Gaffin, Ciera Pennington, and Amanda Schwartz) offers support and training to progressive small businesses, nonprofits, candidates, and individuals to build power, create change, and be more effective leaders in their communities. Kaleidoscope WV focuses on approaching work in an intersectional manner that lifts up marginalized voices and people, specifically women, people of color, those with low income, and LGBTQIA+ folks.

Jennifer Wells is currently the Director of Youth Leadership and Development with West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families as part of the organization's Our Children Our Future initiative. A transplant from New Orleans, Jennifer is working to make her new home in West Virginia the best place to live and thrive for women and people of color.

Jacqueline Venus is an artist, feminist, abuse warrior, freethinker, and intellect who embodies each of those "labels" about herself with an exuberant amount of passion. She doesn't really abide by society's standards on how many are conditioned to live their lives; whether that's in relation to friends, family, romance, jobs, or the way society is taught to consume.

A Los Angeles-based writer, theater-artist, and teacher, Olivia Buntaine's passion is creating productions of Shakespeare and other classical works with the purpose of starting conversations about violence against women and other marginalized populations.

Pamela J. Peters is an Indigenous multimedia documentarian from the Navajo Reservation. Her multimedia work, which she call "Indigenous Realism", explores the lives and diversities of real American Indians and pushes viewers to critically analyze the psychological and historical structures of Native Americans in mass media.