women of color — Arts, Culture, Health, Travel Writer

Excited to share my first piece for LAist featuring Los Angeles native and local healing artist, Rocio Navarro. She guides women and nonbinary people through meditations and sound baths in water to activate various forms of healing. In this story, I share her story about learning to use water as a modality and learned the myriads way she’s worked with individuals and families to help improve womb health or shift ancestral patterns.. I also share my water healing experience with her in the Los Angeles Forest. Check out the full story here!

Janna ZinziFebruary 25, 2020healing, Los Angeles, women of color, women's health, culture

Burlesque: Using Our Bodies As Resistance and Joy

It was a joy and pleasure to create this photo essay about burlesque for Wear Your Voice’s #BodyPositivityinColor series. Grateful to work with the incredible beauty photographer Nathalie Gordon, and to have Egypt Black Knyle, Seraphina Wilder, Loretta E. and Caramel Knowledge be a part of this project. Check out the full post here!

Burlesque is our legacy as Black and Brown folks. Its roots are in social and political commentary and it continues to be a rejection of what is considered “respectable.” Since its inception, burlesque has been about challenging the mores of the day and often the restrictions that are put on our bodies and sexual expression based on gender and race. It encourages free sexual expression and celebrates our bodies in all of their forms…not just white American “beauty” aesthetics. Women of color especially have used this art form for over a century to make political statements, challenge racial stereotypes, parody the bullshit we deal with on a daily basis, and be as sexy and glamorous as we wanna be.

Janna ZinziMarch 22, 2019Los Angeles, women of color, women's history, burlesque

Bawdy Politic: The Best Burlesque in New York City

While most people think of Dita Von Teese or that lackluster Christina Aguilera movie when they hear the word “burlesque,” women of color have a rich history and presence in the art form. Since the late 19th century, women of color in the United States have been creating burlesque variety shows that offer satirical commentary on American racism and gender roles. (The word “burlesque” comes from the Italian word burla, which means “joke.”)

Janna ZinziFebruary 19, 2018burlesque, New York City, travel, dance, theater, women of color

#Crystal Bliss and Radical Self-Care When Stress is Literally Making Us Sick

Healers of color are emerging and connecting via social media. Folks who previously were skeptical of alternative healing modalities outside of Western medicine or Christian beliefs are integrating metaphysical elements into their self-care practices because, frankly, shit is real.

Crystal healing is now on trend and receiving a lot of attention. Like many ancient healing methods, it’s becoming commercialized and commodified. I’m encouraged, however, to see many women of color like author Devi Brownreclaiming this knowledge and empowering others to squad up and and step into healing roles.

Janna ZinziJanuary 18, 2018health, spirituality, women of color, crystals, healing