Marilyn Ortega

Marilyn Ortega is a Xican@/Woman of Color/mother, community educator/organizer and Ph.D student in American Studies at the University of Kansas.  Her work is grounded in her lived experiences and community involvement.  Marilyn Ortega’s primary objectives in her work are to decolonize the mind/body and build coalition across lines of difference/borders created and maintained by colonialism.  Her current research examines the ways that historical trauma complicates recovery for Xicanas that self-medicate after childhood sexual trauma.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in American Ethnic Studies and Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from Kansas State University where she focused on expanding conversations about the School-to-Prison Pipeline to understand the Prison Industrial Complex as a reproductive justice issue terrorizing communities of color in the United States.