Pinky Shear

Pinky Shear (she/her) is a formerly incarcerated, queer woman from Atlanta, Georgia. Pinky comes from a long line of Siksika/Oglala Lakota healers and advocates. As a survivor of childhood assault and incarceration abuse, Pinky has become an activist for trauma recovery and decolonizing oppressive systems. Pinky believes Indigenous history and sacred teachings are essential to advancing prison abolition. In 2017, Pinky and Ky Peterson founded Freedom Overground, a TGNCI/ LGBQA+ prisoner support organization that serves incarcerated community members in the Deep South. Today, Pinky is the programs director for Freedom Overground and founder of the 7 Pillars Collaborative, a “tribe-building” coalition of grassroots organizations that provide community resources in the areas of legal support, sustainable living, housing, harm reduction, disability rights, medical and mental health, and end of life preparation.