Feminist Crush

27/03/2019

Hello, my feminist friends!

You may have noticed our Feminist Crush page is not as active as usual. That's because during the Feminist Crush off-season, we post more frequently to our Instagram and Twitter accounts.

So if you want MORE Feminist Crush content in your life, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, too:

Heart you big time!

30/11/2018

Oh, how we wish we were in West Virginia rn!

Thinking of Gabrielle Chapman and all of our friends (and crushes!) in supporting and organizing for in the Mountain State.❤️

Standing in solidarity with y'all from the West Coast!✊

16/11/2018

Feminist Crush is for everybody, too!
And if you’re crushing hard on our rad , here’s *3* easy (and 💯 FREE!) ways you can support Feminist Crush:
❤️1. Listen. Download/stream episodes of Feminist Crush FOR FREE on (Link below.), , , or .

All 4 seasons (That’s over 80 episodes!) are available for your listening pleasure rn and feature convos with our favorite artists and activists like BETTY, Rebecca Solnit, Alice Bag, and MORE:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2
❤️2. Connect. We want to connect with you, too! So, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: .

And if you want to keep the Feminist Crush conversation going, email me: [email protected]. I’d love to hear your thoughts on past guests, future crushes, and topics you’d like to hear discussed on our show.
❤️3. Share. If you love Feminist Crush, help us spread the word. Share us on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter.

Or if social media shout-outs aren’t your thing, write us a short n’ sweet iTunes review, mention us on your badass blog, or tell a friend about us IRL. No share is too big or too small. We love them all!
So, let’s keep the Crush going strong!
Thank you, my feminist friends, for supporting Feminist Crush.
💕Heart you. BIG time.💕

09/11/2018

Feminist Crush 4: West Virginia Bonus Mini-Season!

Cathy Kunkel, Katie Quiñonez, Diane Pendleton, Tate Thompson, Kayleigh Phillips, Amanda Estep-Burton, Jan Rader, and Kayla Young: You are ALL my feminist crush!

Thank you all SO MUCH for chatting with me!

Have YOU listened to ’s bonus mini-season yet? What are you waiting for???

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to downstream/stream 8 MORE convos with inspiring West Virginia feminists and activists:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

09/11/2018

08/11/2018

🎉Congratulations to Amanda Estep Burton, a Democrat and first-time candidate elected to West Virginia’s House of Delegates 36th District!🎉

08/11/2018

🎉Congratulations to Amy Shuler Goodwin, Charleston’s first female mayor!🎉

06/11/2018

It’s time for our *last* mini-season bonus episode!

S4 Bonus Ep. 8: Kayla Wilson Young is LIVE!

Kayla Young is the founder of Boss Babes WV, a women’s social empowerment organization; the owner of Eggs Will Roll, a nontraditional egg roll food truck; and the mama to two wild toddlers.

She is a freelance writer and graduate of West Virginia University.

So, what gives Kayla hope?

“All the people that I surround myself with all the time,” Kayla told Feminist Crush.

“They give me hope. Every time I go to a Boss Babes meeting and I see these people who literally just show up... Even if they just sit there, the fact that they want to be a part of their community, or they feel some sort of responsibility to show up and do something, that gives me hope.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Kayla Young:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

06/11/2018

It’s bonus mini-season time again!

S4 Bonus Ep. 7: Jan Rader is LIVE!

Jan Rader became Huntington, West Virginia’s first female fire chief in 2017.

She was featured in 2017’s Oscar-nominated documentary short Heroin(e) for her work to confront the opioid epidemic in Huntington.

Jan is also a board member at Fairness West Virginia, a statewide advocacy organization.

“I didn’t realize [firefighting] was a career opportunity for women until I was in my late 20s,” Jan told Feminist Crush.

“So I certainly want young women today growing up to realize they can do this. Because it’s a very rewarding career, [and] I think there’s somewhat of a responsibility to carry that message.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Jan Rader:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

05/11/2018

It’s bonus mini-season time!

S4 Bonus Ep. 6: Amanda Estep Burton is LIVE!

Amanda Estep-Burton is a working class mother of four who cares deeply about the people of West Virginia. She is committed to making a difference in her home state.

She is currently running as a Democrat for the West Virginia House of Delegates 36th District.

“I’m exploring [feminism] for the first time,” Amanda told Feminist Crush.

“I’ve always been pro-woman [and] I’ve never let being a woman hold me back from anything. But I’ve experienced discrimination in my lifetime.

Feminism to me is just being able to run for office and not hesitate. Not get onstage and worry... I spoke in front of some women a few weeks ago, and afterwards a lady said I shouldn’t cross my legs because it distracts men. And I just want that to not be a thing. Nobody notices if men cross their legs or if they don’t. They don’t even really criticize them for the type of suit they wear, [but women] are nitpicked for everything. So, feminism to me is more... [about] just being equal.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Amanda Estep-Burton (aka Amanda for House):

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

04/11/2018

It’s time for another bonus episode from our mini-season!

S4 Bonus Ep. 5: Kayleigh Phillips

Kayleigh Phillips works as a graphic designer and tattoo in Charleston, West Virginia.

She is Assistant Creative Director and Layout/Design Editor of Electric Dirt, a zine created by Q***r Appalachia to celebrate ***r voices and identities from and the South.

So, what inspired Kayleigh’s feminism?

“First would be coming from a long line of really strong women. Just seeing them go through struggles and fighting back, just having a little bit of grit to them...

Going to school, getting out a little bit, going to different places, just seeing bad ass ladies doing things.

And then, obviously, the Internet. You see people just doing such amazing and fearless things all the time. That’s something I’d really like to get to. Just be more fearless and more active all the time. And then, hopefully, pave a way and make it easier for the younger kids.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Kayleigh Phillips:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

***rappalachia

04/11/2018

It’s bonus mini season time!

S4 Bonus Ep. 4: Tate Thompson is LIVE!

Tate Thompson is the founder and Executive Director of WV Transgender Resources.

In addition to his work at WV Transgender Resources, he is also a full-time college student studying graphic design.

“[Trans equality is] knowing that trans people are people,” Tate told Feminist Crush.

“Not seen by us as *trans*, but seeing us as the people we are.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Tate Thompson:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

03/11/2018

It’s time for another bonus episode from our mini-season!

S4 Bonus Ep. 3: Diane Pendleton is LIVE!

Diane Pendleton is a feminist wife, mom, grandmother, and nurse who is horrified that her generation has not done more to protect our children. Gun violence prevention is her number one concern right now.

“I feel I was born [feminist],” Diane told Feminist Crush.

“I didn’t have a moment where I decided I was a . But I was raised in a house of boys - I have four brothers - so it was very male-oriented [at home]. But I was different just from the very beginning, and I felt as though my interests were in other things. And I wanted girls to have more opportunities, more options, more available to them rather than just be the cheerleader, you know?

To be a feminist just means . I can’t imagine why any of us wouldn’t be a feminist.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Diane Pendleton:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

03/11/2018

It’s bonus mini season time!

S4 Bonus Ep. 2: Katie Quiñonez is LIVE!

Katie Quiñonez has served as Development Director of the Women's Health Center of West Virginia - the state’s last remaining abortion provider - since September 2017.

With a background in journalism, social work, and nonprofit fundraising, she earned her Master of Public Administration from Marshall University with a concentration in Nonprofit Management in May 2018.

In her spare time, she fosters cats and kittens through local animal rescues in Cabell County.

“I’ve been pro-choice for about as long as I can remember,” Katie told Feminist Crush.

“I became very passionate about abortion access and reproductive health whenever I found myself in need of an abortion. And actually, I came here [to the Women’s Health Center]. I’ve been a patient in that waiting room here. And I was just treated with such kindness and warmth by the staff and I realized just how critically important it is to be able to control that aspect of your life. If I hadn’t had access to that care that I so needed, I possibly wouldn’t have graduated high school. I might not have went to college. I might not have dedicated my professional life to helping others.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to listen to our entire convo with Katie Quiñonez:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

02/11/2018

It’s bonus mini season time!

S4 Bonus Ep. 1: Cathy Kunkel is LIVE!

Cathy Kunkel is the co-founder of Rise Up WV, a progressive grassroots community organization based in Charleston, West Virginia.

She is also a co-chair of the West Virginia Working Families Party.

“I guess I never really consciously *found* [feminism],” Cathy told Feminist Crush.

“But I feel like I often see - just in my life and in my work - how much women struggle to be recognized... how much harder even women feel like they need to work in order to have [their] opinion be taken seriously. So, I just feel like it’s a pretty natural thing to think that the liberation of women is bound up in a lot of other collective struggles we’re engaged in.”

Tune in to (Link in bio,), , , or rn to listen to our whole convo with Cathy Kunkel:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

02/11/2018

Happy !

🎉SURPRISE!🎉 In a Feminist Crush first, we’re sharing with you an 8-episode bonus mini-season!

A whole season dedicated to powerful change makers in the Mountain State just wasn’t enough. So, we’re giving you a bonus mini-season of 8 MORE conversations with inspiring West Virginia feminists and activists to enjoy!

And here’s the best part: all 8 bonus episodes are available right now! Just tune in to (Link below.), , , or to download/stream them all FOR FREE:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/feminist-crush/id1127927553?mt=2

Get ready to crush hard, friends. Our Feminist Crush: West Virginia's bonus mini-season is HERE!

02/11/2018

It’s a wrap on Feminist Crush Season 4: West Virginia!

Thank you to ALL of our rad for taking part.

Coming soon: A surprise! Stay tuned.

In the meantime, tune in to (Link in bio.), , , or rn to catch up on all of Season 4’s heartthrobs!

01/11/2018

Raven Vance, ! Thank you SO MUCH for chatting with me!

Want to learn more about Raven Vance and watch where her passion for feminism takes her? Follow her on Instagram: .

And don’t forget to tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Raven Vance:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-20-raven-vance/id1127927553?i=1000422843298&mt=2

01/11/2018

S4, Ep. 20: Raven Vance

31/10/2018

Raven Vance: “I want to go to school and I want to be a lawyer. Eventually, I’d like to branch off into politics because there aren’t enough women in [public office]. And I’d like to move back to West Virginia [after I graduate] because I definitely think that we could use strong female voices...

Through my work, I want to create a more loving society here in West Virginia. And [hopefully], my senatorial career will turn into a presidential one, and I can affect the same thing to all of the people in America...[and] the world. I want to change the world.”

💕Oh, our hearts!💕 Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Raven Vance:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-20-raven-vance/id1127927553?i=1000422843298&mt=2

31/10/2018

DID YOU KNOW???

In March 2018, Raven Vance was one of many high school students who gathered at Charleston’s Capitol Building as part of March For Our Lives, a youth-led movement to end gun violence.

Raven, along with fellow students from area schools, organized the rally which drew a large crowd of supporters to West Virginia’s capital.

The demonstration in Charleston was among hundreds of March For Our Lives rallies across the country. Protestors nationwide called for lawmakers to pass common sense gun laws in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people.

“March For Our Lives is not about taking everyone’s guns,” Raven told Feminist Crush. “It’s about common sense gun laws and making safer places for kids - and adults - to be.”

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Raven Vance:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-20-raven-vance/id1127927553?i=1000422843298&mt=2

30/10/2018

Happy , my friends!

S4, Ep. 20: Raven Vance is now LIVE!

Raven Vance is a young voice in West Virginia who spends her time searching for new ways to get her message of change across to those who are not so willing to hear it.

She attends Sarah Lawrence College in New York where she studies Political Science in preparation to pursue a career in Law.

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Raven Vance:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-20-raven-vance/id1127927553?i=1000422843298&mt=2

29/10/2018

Theresa “Tess” Jackson, ! Thank you SO MUCH for chatting with me!

Want to learn more about Theresa “Tess” Jackson and her rad campaign to represent the 15th District in West Virginia’s House of Delegates? ‘Like’ Theresa “Tess” Jackson Candidate for WV House of Delegates.

And don’t forget to tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Theresa “Tess” Jackson:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-19-theresa-tess-jackson/id1127927553?i=1000422626586&mt=2

29/10/2018

S4, Ep. 19: Theresa “Tess” Jackson Candidate for WV House of Delegates

28/10/2018

Theresa “Tess” Jackson: “I think the West Virginia of the future goes back to our roots. There was a time [when] our communities were really poor across the board and we all had to band together and help each other. And I feel like I see that value every day in our communities. This idea of kindness and compassion and seeing other people who are in trouble or who are struggling and wanting to help them. That’s something I see as a really strong value [in West Virginia]. Wanting to see *everybody* succeed. Not just pushing some people to win the race, [but] letting everybody finish.”

💕Oh, our hearts!💕

Tune in to (Link below.), , , and rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Theresa “Tess” Jackson Candidate for WV House of Delegates:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-19-theresa-tess-jackson/id1127927553?i=1000422626586&mt=2

27/10/2018

DID YOU KNOW???

Theresa “Tess” Jackson may be running as an Independent for West Virginia’s House of Delegates 15th District, but she’s not a politician. In fact, running for public office wasn’t something she ever planned on doing.

But then in February, Tess, a middle school teacher, found herself fighting for fair wages alongside about 20,000 of her fellow educators statewide as part of 2018’s West Virginia teachers strike.

Teachers in West Virginia are among the lowest paid in the nation. According to the National Education Association (NEA), the state ranked 48th in terms of teacher pay in 2016.

So, on February 22, 2018, West Virginia from all 55 counties around the state walked out. Taking to the streets for nearly two weeks, West Virginia educators demanded state lawmakers approve a 5 percent pay increase for teachers in the Mountain State.

The strike ended on March 7 when legislators agreed (finally!) to increase teachers’ pay the full 5 percent. The days-long demonstration even inspired teachers to strike in other states including Oklahoma, Colorado, and Arizona.✊

But that’s not all. According to the NEA, in the wake of teachers strikes across the country, more than 500 teachers nationwide are running for office in the Midterms, including this episode’s crush: Tess Jackson!💪

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Theresa “Tess” Jackson Candidate for WV House of Delegates:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-19-theresa-tess-jackson/id1127927553?i=1000422626586&mt=2

26/10/2018

To our friends in Charleston, West Virginia:

Don't miss this rad event hosted by our friends at the !💜

Join us as we focus on Unmasking Domestic Violence on Saturday October 27, 2018 from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. at Edgewood Country Club. Cocktail attire, Festive mask and/or theatrical hair and make up is strongly encouraged! Tickets are $50 per Person with heavy hors d’oeuvres and music & dancing. Sponso...

26/10/2018

Happy , my friends!

S4, Ep. 19: Theresa “Tess” Jackson (aka Theresa “Tess” Jackson Candidate for WV House of Delegates) is LIVE!

Theresa “Tess” Jackson is a middle school teacher in Huntington, West Virginia.

She is currently running as an Independent for the West Virginia House of Delegates 15th District.

She loves reading, spending time with her family, and her two cats Wally and Lillian.

Tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our episode with Theresa “Tess” Jackson:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-19-theresa-tess-jackson/id1127927553?i=1000422626586&mt=2

26/10/2018

Mamone, ! Thank you SO MUCH for chatting with me!

Want to learn more about Mamone and their rad work as Creative Director of Q***r Appalachia? Visit: www.q***rappalachia.com.

And don’t forget to tune in to (Link below.), , , or rn to download/stream FOR FREE our convo with Mamone:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-18-mamone/id1127927553?i=1000422423309&mt=2

***rappalachia ***rsouth

26/10/2018

S4, Ep. 18: Mamone