jawno okhiulu bio

Hi, I'm jawno! I'm a young Nigerian-American writer, poet, and performer originally from Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas. My passion for writing lies in poetry, speculative fiction, and creative non-fiction that revolves around themes of climate action, environmental justice, and Black futures. My creative practice also extends to spoken word, song, and dance performance, and I draw inspiration from Afrofuturist, Queer Black feminist, and Solarpunk traditions. I hold two Bachelor's degrees in African & African American Studies and Human Biology from Stanford University, where I concentrated on health and development within marginalized communities, ancestry, intersectionality, and the arts.

Along with my creative and academic pursuits, I have experience teaching workshops focused on race, writing, and "A Black Land Ethic". I also work as a counselor at a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) summer program in Colorado called (HS)2. I've lectured about black agrarianism at Stanford, emphasizing the intersections between art, culture, and agriculture, and how the arts can contribute to creating sustainable and just communities. Currently, I reside in Oakland, California, and work with the Decolonizing Wealth Project as a Program Associate, where I'm leveraging my perspective and passions to support Black and Indigenous liberation through campaigns focused on reparations in America, climate change action, food & land justice, and youth empowerment.

Through my art and activism, I strive to inspire personal and societal transformation. My goal is to invite people to engage with the world differently, see themselves and others more fully, imagine new possibilities, and take action toward a just and equitable future. I appreciate any support and guidance as I build in these directions and build an artistic community around these traditions. You can see more of my work via my linktree (linktr.ee/souliberationary), and you can support me in this work and visioning here: tr.ee/dHTQv05UQt