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Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW @ Intersectional Equity Insights

Krystal Kavita Jagoo graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2008 and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Windsor in 2010. Jagoo is an educator, who is passionate about equitable outcomes for all, which means working in solidarity with Black and Indigenous communities on Turtle Island, as can be seen from her writing and facilitation work. She most enjoys facilitating virtual psychoeducational Disability Justice programming, as she knows how vital such work is for BIPOC LGBTQIA+ disabled folx like herself to ever access equitable outcomes. 

A selfie of Krystal Kavita Jagoo, a fat brown queer disabled immigrant woman and settler on Turtle Island, is seen. She is wearing a black KN95 mask, gold earrings that state "fierce" & "advocate," and a lavender hoodie. She has a black pixie cut, and black earphones.
LURNN •

7 Ways This Disability Justice Practitioner Can Support Your Work with Virtual Equity Services

July is Disability Pride Month, so I wanted to focus this newsletter post on how my Disability Justice lens informs all of my work, in case tangible examples could help others to think more critically about how oppression limits access.

For as long as I worked as a Mental Health Therapist, I was encouraged to go into private practice as an opportunity to earn more, but I never did, as I hated marketing myself with time that could be much better spent helping folx.

In 2021, when forced into entrepreneurship by retaliatory white supremacist constructive dismissal during a global pandemic, while surviving financial abuse, I was far from skilled at marketing my variety of virtual equity services.
Octavia E. Butler, a Black woman with an afro, is seen seated beside a bookshelf.
LURNN •

Reflecting on How the Disability Justice Framework Could Have Benefitted Octavia E. Butler

If Octavia E. Butler was still alive, she would have turned 79 this week.

Especially if you have read this newsletter post from last month, reviewed my BIPOC Poetry Gems page, or follow me on Bluesky, you may already know how much I adore Octavia E. Butler's brilliance, but her recent birthday offered a welcome opportunity to consider how her navigation of health issues as a Black woman informed her prolific work, including her 2000 Essence essay:
Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels Against a white background, a blue stethoscope is seen, with a measuring tape, a drug container, and a vial.
LURNN •

If PCOS Was Called PMOS Decades Ago, Would That White Straight Male Doctor Have Cared?

The year was likely 2013 when I entered an examination room at a local walk-in clinic in North Bay, Ontario. I had naïvely assumed that since the doctor working that evening regularly referred his clients to me for mental health therapy at the North Bay Regional Health Centre's Mental Health Clinic, I would be treated with a basic level of respect. Upon entering the examination room, he 1st felt the need to tell me that this was a poor use of the walk-in clinic as if I only wanted contraception, I should have gone to Public Health.
These book covers are seen: The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde, Kindling: Writings On the Body by Aurora Levins Morales, Black Disability Politics by Sami Schalk, Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life by Alice Wong, Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Beyond Survival Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement, co-edited by Ejeris Dixon & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability by Jasbir K. Puar, The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Crip Kinship: The Disability Justice and Art Activism of Sins Invalid by Shayda Kafai, & Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, edited by Alice Wong.
LURNN •

10 Bookish Recommendations to Sharpen Your Disability Justice Lens

As a Disability Justice Practitioner for a decade, the 1st book I tend to recommend is the Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People, A Disability Justice Primer, but during the Q&A period of my free virtual Disability Justice 101 webinar for the American Library Association’s Social Responsibilities Round Table's Health Equity in Action Summit, I was asked about other books I would recommend by a librarian in attendance.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels A pair of white hands write on paper, while another pair of white hands beside it is counting dollar bills.
LURNN •

If Your Equity Events Offer No Free Spots, Congrats, You Have Failed at (Financial) Access!

If you ever wonder why all my workshop offerings are Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC), including FREE, it is because I understand that the vast majority of the learning opportunities I have accessed since COVID-19 hit, has been free, (as I was surviving at least $183,364 in financial abuse at the hands of my ex, Makai Livingstone, of Embodied Support Services, as detailed here), but also because the 3rd principle of the Disability Justice framework that grounds my work is an anti-capitalist politic!🫂
Domestic Abuse Intervention Project A black and white Power and Control Wheel image is seen. In the middle, text states POWER AND CONTROL, while the outer ring states PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE. Inside, the circle is divided into eight equal slices of Using Intimidation, Using Emotional Abuse, Using Isolation, Minimizing, Denying and Blaming, Using Children, Using Male Privilege, Using Economic Abuse, and Using Coercion and Threats, with descriptions for each that exceed this character limit, so full text included in the caption.
LURNN •

Turns Out +++ Men Still Need Help Understanding How the Fucking Patriarchy Is to Blame in 2026

Do you remember choosing the hypothetical bear over the men we all know? I do, as I recall discussing it with the 2 women facilitating my Community Care program in the spring of 2024, so it was at least 2 years ago that I last wished for a mainstream discussion to finally land with those most able to disrupt the patriarchy that disproportionately kills us, i.e., the fucking men. Unfortunately, I deeply regret to inform you that far too many men remain wilfully ignorant enough for me to devote an entire newsletter post to this discussion, after a particularly victim blamey week of witnessing misogyny.
A photo of the latest hard cover anthology with Krystal Kavita Jagoo's essay in it, i.e., Asian Canada is Burning: Theories, Methods, Pedagogies, and Praxes, is seen, on a grey table, with a package of a "DO NO HARM BUT TAKE NO SHIT" sticker and button on top, as created by knezek.art
LURNN •

No Longer Even Seeking Pappy’s Approval to Dismantle Social Work’s Rampant White Fuckery

The good news is that I have survived a month without my trauma-informed chiropractor. The bad news is that my Chirp Contour has still not arrived from Michigan, so although February is the shortest month, it felt like the longest, unfortunately. Especially since my period has joined the pain party on the heels of my latest rejection for a much-needed paid opportunity despite calling my application "brilliant," I am reflecting on Social Work Month, which is what March has been considered since 1963.
With an orange gradient along the left side, the lower half of two folx are seen walking, including one brown-skinned individual, who holds a white cane. From the top left, text states: scarborough arts Below that, text states: BIPOC DISABILITY JUSTICE (UN)LEARNING JOURNEYS LED BY KRYSTAL KAVITA JAGOO Below that, the facilitator, a brown-skinned femme with glasses is seen smiling. Beside that image, is the symbol for sign language in white. INTERPRETER: Salgal Gokani WORKMAN ARTS SATELLITE SUPPORTED BY THE SLAIGHT FAMILY FOUNDATION.
LURNN •

Why I Called My 2023 Workshops BIPOC Disability Justice (Un)Learning "Journeys"

Logically, I know it has been a long journey since my 1st medical leave from the family health team whose white supremacist executive director served me with a disciplinary letter in 2016 that stated I "was hired to practice social work, not social justice," through my 2nd medical leave from "an equity office" at Canada's largest university whose ableist white supremacist divisional and departmental directors had unjustly suspended me for 5 days without pay, claiming that my freelance writing which never named the university once disparaged the institution in 2021, to my current more unpacked-internalized ableism lens regarding how Disability Justice (un)learning is both lifelong and necessary, but I had known this by 2023, when I 1st pitched that series for grant funding to my local arts service organization, Scarborough Arts, for which, it was selected, when Workman Arts last paid CARFAC rates.
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Verywell Mind •

What Is White Guilt?

White guilt describes the guilt brought upon by "the recognition of unearned and unfair racial privileges, the acknowledgment of personal racist attitudes or behavior, and/or the sense of responsibility for others’ racist attitudes or behavior."

On one hand, this guilt can lead people to unlearn racist attitudes and fight against White supremacy. On the other hand, a person may disengage from the feelings of guilt and shame and become defensive.

The term white guilt is frequently used in the...
Verywell Mind •

What Is Inclusion?

Inclusion is the practice of including and accommodating people who often face discrimination and exclusion due to race, gender, ability, sexuality, or identity. In light of the current racial climate, many settings are becoming increasingly aware of their lack of diversity and representation. Such organizations have failed to represent people of all backgrounds, genders, etc. This has left the most oppressed folx feeling undervalued, ignored, erased, etc.


Inclusion refers to "the act or prac
Verywell Mind •

How to Stop Crying

Despite the fact that most people have been crying regularly since birth, it can still feel extremely uncomfortable. While babies tend to cry easily, there is no shortage of social expectations causing this behavior to become less acceptable as people age. For this reason, you may find yourself working hard to avoid crying when you feel the urge to do so.

If you find yourself crying more than usual, you may feel embarrassed, which may even prompt more tears. While crying can be a healthy emotio
Prism •

BIPOC LGBTQIA+ communities deserve care for eating disorders

Thanks to Project HEAL, an organization that addresses systemic health care and financial barriers to eating disorder treatment, Da’Shaun Harrison was finally diagnosed with an eating disorder last year. But they have long struggled with disordered eating. As a Black trans person, Harrison lives with the impacts of oppression.

“Growing up as someone who was socialized as a Black boy, who was always fat, doctors never even considered [an eating disorder],” said Harrison, a theorist and author of
Medicinal Media •

Staging medicine as a neurologist and playwright — Medicinal Media

Ariel Landrum, MA, LMFT, a certified art therapist and the clinical director of Guidance Teletherapy, says, “Doctors are healthcare professionals that we rely on to keep us well. Performance art that humanizes doctors allows us to connect with them as individuals. When a doctor writes the narrative themselves, we can get a more accurate look at their struggles in their personal and professional lives. When we experience the narrative from a woman of color, we are immersed in the richness of the
Verywell Mind •

How Awareness of Epigenetics and Generational Trauma Can Inform Therapy

The pandemic has become a source of collective trauma for many, leaving some wondering what the long-term impact may be even after it's over. The study of epigenetics may have the answer, as history shows that oppressed groups, for example, may pass down the impact of such trauma in their genes.

Epigenetics—in highly simplified terms—is the study of how genes may be affected by the experiences people have, which can then be passed down to future generations.

While it may be challenging to cons
Asparagus Magazine •

Bodily Autonomy Is About More Than Abortion Access - Asparagus

For many, the phrase “bodily autonomy” brings abortion access to mind, especially since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade—the 1973 supreme court decision that legalized abortion throughout the US. This latest court decision means that American states can regulate abortion within their borders.

But the concept of bodily autonomy also applies to trans rights, disability justice, mental health, and even what a person can wear on their body. That’s a wide range of topics, so let’s unpack how thes
Asparagus Magazine •

Ukrainian Youth "Will Not be the Same" - Asparagus

On February 24, 2022, a social worker who works with youth and resides in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, was drinking a cup of tea and making his way to catch a train to Kyiv. Suddenly, his city was hit with a Russian missile targeting a nearby airfield.

Since then, he has not left his home because of the threat of military violence, but continues to support youth via messaging service Telegram and the video-conference platform Zoom. He worries about how traumatizing this Russian invasion will be for t
Medtruth •

5 Top Podcast Recommendations for Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Due to the hard work of author and activist Bebe Moore Campbell, the U.S. House of Representatives first recognized July as National Minority Mental Health Month in 2008. With the lived experience of supporting her daughter’s navigation of mental health services, Campbell witnessed the systemic gaps in mental health access and drew attention to the unique mental health needs of Black folks in the United States, and by extension Black, Indigenous and people of color, too. Especially during a glob
Verywell Mind •

How to Navigate Your Own Privilege

Having privilege means that you possess an unearned advantage in society through some aspect of your identity, in comparison to folx who lack that attribute. These dynamics tend to reflect larger power differentials in society as folx who are members of a dominant group possess privilege over those whose identity marginalizes them by comparison.

While it can be uncomfortable to recognize that you have unearned advantages over other folx through no fault of theirs, working through your discomfor
Education for Today and Tomorrow | L'Education Aujourd'hui et Demain •

Making Space for Justice: The Realities of “Universal” Human Rights

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 40 Years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Special Issue, 2022

Many students in our country may have realized from a young age that they are treated differently than their peers or other fellow Canadians. They know it’s not right, but don’t have the vocabulary or forum to express this. Then they come to school and learn about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a document stating that every person in Canada “is equal before and under the law”
Prism •

Unions need to better integrate temporary workers into advocacy

While Sheila Crabbe supports workers’ efforts to unionize, she, like many who primarily work in “temporary” roles, found that unions don’t always provide the same benefits and protection that permanent workers in unions often have. As a Black woman working within the Minneapolis school system, the precariousness of this position was made clear when she was let go from her job amid a mental health crisis after five years of employment.

“There are great educators of color that continue to be feel
GHLF.org •

How Trauma and Discrimination Among LGBTQ+ Adults May Impact Migraine

LGBTQ+ adults often face higher levels of trauma, which can have a negative impact on their health. Despite that unfortunate reality, this was the first study to assess the experiences of sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) folx with respect to migraine, as it relates to a history of trauma and discrimination.

Researchers initially highlighted gaps in the current knowledge around neurological health among LGBTQ+ adults, in a study published in JAMA Neurology last year, which prompted this subse
Verywell Mind •

Surprisingly, Smartphone Use May Help Improve Memory

The odds are good that you and your loved ones each have your own smartphone. In fact, the Pew Research Center estimates that 97% of Americans own a cellphone, while 85% have a smartphone.

Given the prevalence of smartphones, we often hear warnings about reliance on them. Thankfully, a recently published study in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General found that using digital devices may support individuals to remember additional information.

Researchers analyzed the results of memory tes
Verywell Mind •

Eating Fruit More Often Can Lead to Better Mental Health

Eating healthy food is often encouraged to promote mental health and well-being. Now, a study published in British Journal of Nutrition found that frequent consumption of fruit is associated with lower depression scores.

This study was conducted with 428 healthy adults across the United Kingdom, and survey responses demonstrate that regular consumption of fruit was linked to lower depression and better mental health outcomes.

Given how healthy eating can support mental health, these findings m
Verywell Mind •

People Are Cooperating More Than They Have in Decades

Cooperation is often encouraged in relationships and is a well-known sign of a strong community. Now, a new study published in Psychological Bulletin has found that cooperation levels among strangers has been increasing in the US since the 1950s.

Researchers reviewed 511 American studies that took place between 1956 and 2017, including those that assessed for cooperation among strangers.


There are so many 21st-century challenges—from climate change to global inequality—that require a collect
Verywell Mind •

Looking at Art Online Has a Similar Effect on Mental Health as Looking at Physical Art

Art has long been known to affect our psyche. Now, a new study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that even brief viewing of art online can improve moods through cognitive-emotional experiences.

When study participants were asked to explore online exhibitions of either a Monet painting or a display of Japanese culinary traditions, they reported improved mental health and reduced negative moods with just a couple minutes of engagement.

Researchers note that their results bode well for m
Verywell Mind •

Does Travel Count as Therapy? Why Tourism is Great for Your Mental Health

We know the benefits of art therapy and music therapy, but a new study shows how travel therapy may be another type of intervention that can be added to the list.

A recently published journal article in Tourism Management found that the experience of going on a vacation can be beneficial for people who navigate dementia. Researchers note how tourism experiences may provide positive impacts as a dementia intervention.

Not only is travel therapy beneficial for those with dementia, but it can hel
Verywell Mind •

A Father's Adult Attachment Style Could Affect Children's Anxiety Levels

Understanding the attachment style of children may help to address mental health issues, and understanding where these attachment styles come from is a key piece of that puzzle. In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Psychology earlier this year found that the adult attachment of fathers can influence the anxiety levels of their children into adolescence.

Based on questionnaire responses from 906 pairs of fathers and their adolescents from Chinese families, this study indica
Verywell Mind •

Chronic Loneliness and Mental Health Distress Have a Cyclical Relationship

For many, the pandemic intensified loneliness concerns. A new research study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) has found a direct link between the impacts of loneliness and greater mental health distress.

Researchers conducted interviews with 59 adults with mental health concerns in the UK, and found that mental health distress can impact chronic loneliness, which refers to feeling lonely often or always.

These findings can better inform government programs to address loneliness and improve
EverydayHealth.com •

HIV PrEP Treatment Failing to Reach Minorities

Before Ciarra Covin was diagnosed with HIV in 2008, medications called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) that prevent HIV infection didn’t exist.

As a college student in rural Georgia, Covin found out she had HIV after going to the school’s health clinic for birth control. Upon learning her positive status, her first thought was, “Will I be able to have children one day?”

Her doctor, who was white, offered little comfort. “I asked him if I could have kids, and his response, to this little Black
Verywell Mind •

Trans College Students Are More Prone to Sleep Disorders, Study Finds

Marginalized groups often face health inequities due to oppression. A recent study published in Nature and Science of Sleep found that transgender college students experience greater sleep challenges than their cis peers.

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 221,549 college students across the US and Canada and found that trans participants were significantly more likely to develop both sleep and mood disorders.


Since trans individuals often face increased health challenges due to o
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Digitally Available Publications

***White supremacy does not deserve any more capital, so I do not personally capitalize white when referring to folx, but I have limited control over the editing process, in terms of my published clips***