Jen Ash
Lecturer
Executive Director, Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation
Gender and Women's Studies
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
About
Jen Ash (she/her) is an organizer, educator, and historian specializing in African American women’s history and the history of social movements. She was a member of Chicago Torture Justice Memorials (CTJM) during and after the campaign for reparations for Burge survivors, and returned to working on the Burge survivors memorial in 2021 as a paid organizer. Bringing her nonprofit work experience to the table, in 2023, Jen was hired as Executive Director, overseeing CTJM Foundation operations and the construction of the Burge torture survivors memorial. She also serves as a Lecturer in the Women’s and Gender Studies program and Black Studies Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she also earned a Ph.D. in U.S. history and a graduate concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies in 2019.