Jenell Navarro

Jenell Navarro is Professor of Ethnic Studies at California Polytechnic State University, focusing on Indigenous feminisms and hip-hop as tools of cultural resistance. Her interdisciplinary research examines how Indigenous artists mobilize language, music, and visual culture for decolonial praxis.

Dr. Navarro's publications include 'Solarize-ing Native Hip-Hop,' which analyzes land ethics in Indigenous music, and 'The Promise of the Jaguar,' exploring Indigeneity in Chican@ graphics. She co-authored 'Leading with Our Hearts' on beadwork as anti-colonial action and is contributing to anthologies on Black-Indigenous solidarity.

Navarro teaches courses on hip-hop poetics, research methods, and decolonial theory. She received Cal Poly's President’s Diversity Award (2017) and Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award (2016) for mentoring students in social justice research and advocacy initiatives.