Roses Podcast
Love. Leadership. Liberation.
The Roses Podcast is a storytelling and sisterhood series created by and for Black and Brown trans femmes and girls. Rooted in the brilliance of youth leadership and collective care, the podcast uplifts the voices of current and former members of the Roses Program — a national council of BIPOC nonbinary trans femmes and trans girls ages 14–18.
Each episode offers raw, reflective, and radically honest conversations about identity, community, joy, survival, and the world we’re building together. From navigating school and healthcare to dreaming up futures beyond violence, The Roses Podcast centers youth wisdom and trans liberation through the lens of lived experience and deep connection.
Whether you’re part of the movement or just beginning to learn, The Roses Podcast invites you into a space of truth-telling, healing, and radical imagination — led by the very girls and femmes transforming the world.
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Host: Owolelewa'mulani (Manola) Jackson (She/Her/Palopa), Roses Initiative National Organizer
01
Redefining Trans Fem Sisterhood
In this featured episode, titled “Fourth Annual Intergenerational Gurl Talk”, host Manola (she/her/Palopa) facilitates a multi-generational dialogue, weaving together reflections from both youth and elders. They explore themes of love as resistance, navigating societal barriers, sustaining joy under pressure, and the ongoing journey toward collective liberation. This episode exemplifies the show’s ethos: amplifying non-white trans femme voices with warmth, vulnerability, brilliance, and political clarity.
02
Transgender Day of Remembrance/Resilience
. Hosted by Manola (she/her/Palopa), the episode digs deep into themes like:
Love as resistance – exploring how nurturing care becomes a tool for collective survival.
Breaking barriers – candid reflections on navigating trans femme life in education, healthcare, and community spaces.
Joy under pressure – finding resilience and celebration amid systemic challenges.
Radical visioning – sharing hopeful strategies and dreams for trans femme liberation.
03
Interviewing HIV Advocate Tiommi Luckett
HIV justice is racial justice, trans justice, and disability justice. This conversation will explore how stigma, criminalization, and healthcare inequities impact people living with HIV and how we can build a more affirming and resourced future.
04
Interviewing Migrant Advocate Eve Estrella Stiles
A conversation on immigration, identity, and queer belonging across Latine and Afro-Indigenous diasporas. Featuring DACA and Immigrant fems.
