Organizational Histories Personal Journeys

Living A Life Of Truth, Justice, and Love with Fanshen Cox

October 14, 2026

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“I hope they will hear another perspective and consider being more liberated (and allowing others to be). Since my focus is on the entertainment industry, I hope they will walk away knowing how their decisions in terms of what they consume truly matter – and that there’s power in people unifying and standing up together to push for better.”

–Fanshen Cox

Fanshen Cox connects her commitment to social justice to the example her parents set and the intention they put into naming her. Drawing inspiration from the documentary book “Fanshen” about Long Bow Village and the Mao revolution, they chose a name tied to overturning power structures. Fanshen’s journey of meaning-making and living into her name continues to guide her work today.

As a founder, Fanshen has poured a similar depth of intention into naming TruJuLo Productions, a media company dedicated to promoting stories that speak truth in pursuit of justice in service of love. Fanshen tells the origin story of TruJuLo, and the creation of Sista Brunch, a podcast and growing community that is building the largest archive of Black women and Black gender-expansive people’s stories who are thriving in entertainment and media.

Fanshen’s storytelling reminds us to share our resources, to keep telling our origin stories, and to live a life guided by truth, justice, and love.

Important considerations for this Personal Journeys and Organizational Histories episode include:

Fanshon’s philosophy of truth, justice, and love.
The co-founding of Sista Brunch to elevate Black women and Black gender-expansive creators and publicly name and celebrate their achievements.
Resisting erasure by archiving oral histories and constructing durable digital records that can’t be easily erased.
Concrete industry strategies, including leveraging tax incentives and producing inclusive projects to bypass exclusionary gatekeepers.
Prioritizing sharing our resources and knowledge, and refusing to hoard opportunities that could empower others, including the next generation.
The importance of committing to ongoing personal work to dismantle internalized privilege while advocating for collective liberation and sustained responsibility.

Meet Fanshen

Fanshen Cox (she/they) is a multi-talented artist, producer, and educator, known for her award-winning work in impactful storytelling. She is the founder of TruJuLo Productions, a media company dedicated to promoting stories that speak truth in pursuit of justice in service of love.

Fanshen served as the Senior Vice President of Development and Impact at Pearl Street Films, founded by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. In this role, they were responsible for overseeing the development of socially conscious projects with a focus on those by underrepresented writers and directors.

Fanshen’s passion for creating positive change extends beyond their work in media. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde, West Africa, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Education, a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and an MFA in TV, Film & Theatre.

Fanshen has received numerous accolades for her work, including Distinguished Alumni Awards from both California State University, Los Angeles, and Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also a co-author of the Inclusion Rider, a powerful tool for promoting diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. The Inclusion Rider was famously announced at the 2018 Oscars by Frances McDormand.

Fanshen is also the co-creator, producer, and host of the Webby-nominated podcast Sista Brunch, which highlights the achievements of Black women and Black gender expansive people in entertainment and media.
Fanshen’s commitment to promoting positive change through media and education has made them a powerful force for good in the industry, and their work continues to inspire and uplift audiences around the world.

More from Fanshen

My parents’ commitment to justice had a profound effect on me. My father was a Jamaican immigrant, and my mother was born and raised in a small town in eastern Oregon (white/Danish/Blackfeet roots). They were married before interracial marriage was fully legal across the U.S. They gave me the name Fanshen intentionally – I’m named after a book (Fanshen) about the Mao Revolution in China and how a small village used the word (which means ‘to turn over’) as their motto for the revolution. I try my best to live up to the values they raised my brother and me with – but sometimes it can be very challenging – and, honestly, heartbreaking, to want and fight for a better world.

In high school, I was a cheerleader for the football team – but I was never really into cheerleading and realized pretty quickly that actually what I wanted to do was PLAY football! So I joined the tackle football team and was the only girl to play for my team. It was exhilarating! But it was also HARD. I remember not thinking that it was a big deal – but it was such a big deal to everyone. Everyone had an opinion about it. Including a lot of people hating me when I was so young – just for doing something I was drawn to. I remember resolving to continue doing what made me feel good despite what other’s thought. But still – it’s challenging to face a lot of opposition and hate for simply being free.

Certainly my early activism was around issues that I cared about because they touched me personally – and that experience made me strong and convicted which carried me into other social justice activities. As I solidified later that I was going to be both and educator and a storyteller, I learned much more – about the historical context behind a lot of the things I thought I knew, the data and how it points to systems, and especially fighting for communities and people that I don’t share demographics with – and all the intersections in between.

Dr. Dorothy Roberts’ Fatal Invention is the book that had the most profound effect on my understanding of race and racism. The professor I TA’d for when I was pursuing my MFA, Dr. Kelly Madison also helped me shape my storytelling to include that historical context and critique of systems. Black Lives Matter and the Me Too movement help remind me I’m not alone. Living in Los Angeles for the last 20+ years after having grown up on the east coast has also exposed me to perspectives I just didn’t have elsewhere. My ex husband is Italian and I spent a lot of time in Europe when we were married – again leading to broadening my understanding of different perspectives. So many influences!

Reflections on internalized oppression

Phew. One of the most heartbreaking things that ever happened in my family was when we lived in Maine after my parents’ divorce. We were hit hard with racism – and we were just around 9 or 10. One day my brother and I got into a physical fight – and I ended up screaming the N-word at him! It saddens me deeply that I even knew what it was – but I would say that moment – his response and the shame I felt over it still feel fresh in my mind. Our parents taught us to be proud of being Black – and somehow my visceral response was to say that. It still kills me to this day. But that’s what systems will do to us. It also took me 56 years to realize and then come out as non-binary (or really my preferred term is gender expansive). I have been fortunate to have had lots of support around my marginalized identities – and still this feels like one I hid from myself until just about a year ago – and I’m confident that is based on fear and internalized oppression.

Reflections on internalized patterns of power/superiority

Ugh. This is the one right here. I was raised to love and embrace being Black – even in racist environments like in Maine – but at the same time I read as racially ambiguous to many – if not straight-out white. I struggle with my place in social justice movements. I try and be conscious about internalized superiority (esp since that N-word incident in Maine), but I know also that just my presence in certain spaces perpetuates it. I know that I am heard and can push for things more easily than my darker-skinned family and friends. And I know that my sense of confidence, the resources I have, the life I live – all have their roots in the parts of me that experience whiteness.