The short version:
Anand Kalra has served social justice movements since 2004. He’s a professional librarian by training, and has applied theories and concepts of information science to professional work in public health policy for transgender people and people living with HIV, electoral organizing, civil disobedience/public protest, leadership development for underrepresented groups, narrative change work and digital storytelling, finance and operations consulting, and executive leadership in LGBT arts. He is also a certified end-of-life doula.
The medium version:
Anand grew up the youngest child in a progressive South Asian family in rural Illinois. After leaving home at 17, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Math from the University of Michigan, where his undergraduate thesis explored the connection between internalized gender oppression and externalized racial oppression among white transgender people. The findings from this research formed the basis for workshops he taught from 2008 – 2013 on healing internalized oppression in queer and trans communities. In 2010, while completing his Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, Anand began to integrate information literacy into his work on self-actualization as an entry point for recognizing and healing internalized oppression.
As a reference librarian, Anand helped thousands of people overcome barriers in their lives by finding the right information at the right time. As a facilitator with more than 20 years’ experience, he’s built up a solid foundation of active listening, situational analysis, and finding alternate perspectives, while staying grounded with a peaceful frame of mind. As a writer, musician, and filmmaker, he explores the tragedy and comedy of privilege, oppression, and justice as shaped from his perspective as an able-bodied, middle class, queer, leftist, feminist, brown trans man.
Prior to launching his independent practice, Anand has applied his skills, training, and knowledge in a wide variety of settings, including academic libraries, university classrooms, pre-K and elementary schools, and health clinics. He spent four years organizing public policy wins in the health care system at Transgender Law Center, three supporting the back-end organizing infrastructure with Positive Women’s Network – USA, and two and a half guiding Queer Cultural Center through developmental transition as executive director. He has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2012.