ABOUT ME

I'm Rachel Anspach, a doctoral candidate and independent journalist in UC Berkeley’s African American Studies Department, where my current research focuses on gender norms, racial capitalism, and education philanthropy in the early 20th century. My journalism examines the intersections of U.S. politics, race and gender -- focusing on issues such as activism to end cash bail, police violence against Black women, and immigration law's harms to young people and LGBTQ individuals. My writing has been published in outlets including Teen Vogue, Mic, Jezebel, Slate and Rewire. I previously served as the senior editor & writer for the African American Policy Forum, where I co-authored "Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women." I graduated with honors from Vassar College, where I studied Political Science and Spanish. In addition to writing and research, I'm also passionate about nature, thrifting, food and cats.