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verognzlz.bsky.social
Vero
@verognzlz.bsky.social
400 followers 400 following 170 posts
Research Assistant Professor & Bridge to Faculty Fellow w/ focus on institutional responses to gender-based violence, systemic barriers to survivor help-seeking, and policy frameworks shaping justice. Views my own.
https://valenciagonzalezphd.com
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verognzlz.bsky.social
Visual highlighting the two logics shaping femicide response in Mexico. Formal Institutions focus on metrics and protocols; Grassroots actors center urgency, visibility, and community care—often filling the gaps left by the state.

Article: bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Infographic titled “Two Logics of Femicide Response in Mexico,” showing a side-by-side comparison of formal institutional actors and grassroots/community actors. The left column, in blue tones, lists institutional approaches: prevention defined as legal harmonization; strategies focused on trainings and benchmarks; long-term planning cycles; authority based on bureaucratic legitimacy; effectiveness measured through metrics; and low trust and accessibility due to bureaucracy. The right column, in gold tones, summarizes grassroots approaches: prevention defined through visibility, symbolic justice, and urgent action; strategies like vigils, murals, accompaniment, and memorials; immediate response driven by grief and risk; authority grounded in survivor experience and community trust; effectiveness measured through relational outcomes such as belonging and safety; and high accessibility rooted in local knowledge. Citation at bottom: Valencia González (2025), BMC Public Health.
November 15, 2025 at 3:53 AM
verognzlz.bsky.social
Perks of academia: writing from the dog park.
#AcademicSky #Dog
A laptop rests on someone’s lap beside a small black dog wearing a pink harness, lying on artificial grass with a pink toy near its mouth. A metal fence and sidewalk are visible in the background under bright sunlight.
November 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
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I’m honored to be one of the contributing authors in Women Empowerment for Gender Equality, Vol. 2 (Vernon Press), a new collection highlighting diverse global perspectives on gender, justice, and empowerment.

#GenderEquality #ImmigrantRights #IPV
Flyer for Women Empowerment for Gender Equality Volume 2: Diverse Initiatives from Across the World, edited by Anita Brandon and published by Vernon Press. The flyer summarizes the book’s themes and contributors.
October 8, 2025 at 5:35 PM
verognzlz.bsky.social
Revisiting Beth Richie’s Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation. A foundational text on how structural violence and carceral systems shape Black women’s lives and survival.

#Books #ReadingNow #BlackFeminism
Book cover of Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation by Beth E. Richie. The title is in large blue and white text. Below, an image shows a housing project with children playing outside against a city skyline backdrop.
October 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM
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Just finished The Dope by Benjamin T. Smith—an eye-opening dive into the history of the Mexican drug trade. Illuminating in how it weaves politics, violence, and survival, showing the deep roots behind what too often gets reduced to headlines.
#Reading #Book
Black-and-white cover of The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade by Benjamin T. Smith, narrated by John Curless. The image shows a person with braided hair standing in a poppy field, mountains visible in the background.
October 2, 2025 at 12:57 PM
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Planning to spend the weekend with Nobody Is Protected by Reece Jones. The book traces how the U.S. Border Patrol expanded its authority to become what Jones calls the most dangerous police force in the country. Looking forward to digging into its history and implications.

#Books #Reading
Book cover of Nobody Is Protected: How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States by Reece Jones.
August 28, 2025 at 12:51 PM
verognzlz.bsky.social
Put this on my desk to entice students and colleagues to stop by my office. Come say hi (and grab a treat)!
#AcademicSky
A clear glass jar with a lid, filled with assorted fun-size candies including Reese’s, KitKat, and other chocolate bars, sitting on a wooden desk.
August 26, 2025 at 5:56 PM
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Last book I’ll get to this year from my summer reading list: On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder.

A slim but powerful read on history’s warnings for today.

#books #SummerReads
Book cover of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. The design is minimalist with beige background, red vertical stripes on the sides, and black centered text.
August 20, 2025 at 11:15 AM
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The Dept. of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Juvenile Justice.

Apps start getting reviewed Sept 26—come join us!

uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/193...

#AcademicJobs #Criminology #JuvenileJustice
Job ad flyer from the University of South Carolina’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. It announces a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Juvenile Justice. Text highlights: applicants should show promise in high-quality research, effective teaching, and potential for external funding. Review of applications begins September 26 and continues until filled. Includes link: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/193159
August 20, 2025 at 10:50 AM
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Next on my summer reading list: Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty, a powerful dive into #genocide, #forensics, and the stories behind what remains. Heavy, but important. #SummerReads #Books #Nonfiction #Anthropology
Book cover of Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty. The background is black with illustrations of various bones in blue and gray surrounding a central yellow skeletal hand. The title is displayed in cut-out style text across the hand, reading: “Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains.” The author’s name appears at the bottom in cursive handwriting.
July 19, 2025 at 3:05 AM
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This has been such a painful book to get through — but it explains how we ended up with the #SupremeCourt we have today.

I’m forcing myself to finish it is because I feel like I have to understand how we got here.

The Supermajority by Michael Waldman

#AmericanPolitics #Book #SummerReading
Cover of the book The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America by Michael Waldman. The image shows six red judicial robes above the title and three black robes below it, symbolizing the ideological imbalance on the Court.
July 7, 2025 at 5:26 PM
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Next on my summer reading list: Who’s Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler

Digging into the politics of gender, identity, and fear—especially timely. Butler never shies away from the hard questions. Let’s see where this one takes me.

#SummerReading #JudithButler #Books
Book cover of Who’s Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler. The background is off-white with bold black text. The title “WHO’S AFRAID OF GENDER?” is at the top, and the author’s name “JUDITH BUTLER” is centered near the bottom, followed by “Author of Gender Trouble” in smaller font. The left edge has a yellow vertical stripe, and the right edge has a lavender stripe, giving the cover a minimal yet striking appearance.
June 28, 2025 at 6:33 PM
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Next book on my summer reading list already has me angry—and I’m not even past the introduction. The Supermajority by Michael Waldman dives deep into how the Supreme Court became a force of division. Buckle up.

#SummerReading #Books #SupremeCourt
Cover of the book The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America by Michael Waldman. The design features six red judicial robes above three black ones, symbolizing ideological imbalance.
June 22, 2025 at 3:57 PM
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Next book on my summer reading list: Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay.

Heard it’s raw, powerful, and deeply personal—can’t wait to dive in.

#SummerReading
Cover of the book “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body” by Roxane Gay. The image features a close-up of a bent fork casting a shadow on a white background, with bold black and red typography.
June 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
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Just finished reading Squeezed by Alissa Quart.

I feel seen — but also disturbed by how widespread financial hardship is, even among educated people striving for a middle-class life that our current society no longer supports.

#AcademicSky #SummerReading #Books
Cover of Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America by Alissa Quart. Two modest, beige houses sit closely together, with a narrow strip of grass between them leading to a white box truck and more housing in the background — visually emphasizing the idea of being “squeezed” in modern economic life.
June 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
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I’m running for the ASA Latina/o #Sociology Section Council! I previously served as student rep, served on the book award committee, & would love your support as I continue serving our comunidad.
#ASA2025
A smiling woman wearing a white blouse with colorful floral embroidery, holding a black French bulldog dressed in a vibrant, patterned outfit. They are posed against a pink background, both looking cheerful and bright.
June 18, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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Next on my summer reading list:
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone.

A humanizing look at the lives of Americans who work full-time but still face homelessness. Timely, urgent, and essential reading.

#SummerReading #AcademicSky #Books
Book cover of There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone. The title is vertically arranged in white text over a narrow strip showing a muted city skyline at sunset, with dark black bars on either side.
June 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
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Next up on my summer reading list: Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change by Ben Austen.

A timely and powerful exploration of incarceration, parole, and what real change can look like within our criminal legal system.

#AcademicSky #CarceralStudies #SummerReading
Book cover of Correction: Parole, Prison and the Possibility of Change by Ben Austen. The background is diagonally split—white on the top right, red on the bottom left. The title and author’s name are in black text. Two small silhouetted figures appear with shadows cast in opposite directions, reinforcing the theme of change and duality.
May 31, 2025 at 11:48 PM
verognzlz.bsky.social
While I was at the dog park, I came up with a research study idea and I’m so freaking excited.
#AcademicSky
A black French Bulldog wearing a harness lies flat on a concrete path with its legs stretched behind it, looking out toward a grassy park enclosed by a chain-link fence.
May 31, 2025 at 9:32 PM
verognzlz.bsky.social
Next up on my summer reading list: Homelessness Is a Housing Problem by Gregg Colburn & Clayton Page Aldern. A deep dive into the structural causes of homelessness in the U.S.—and why it’s a housing issue at its core.

#AcademicSky #SummerReading #Books
Cover of the audiobook Homelessness Is a Housing Problem by Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern. The subtitle reads: “How structural factors explain U.S. patterns.” Below is an image of modern apartment buildings with red roofs under a partly cloudy sky.
May 29, 2025 at 9:18 PM
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Next book on my summer reading list: The Shadow Docket by Stephen Vladeck.

Digging into how the Supreme Court’s quiet decisions shape big outcomes. Looks like a compelling (and sobering) read.

#SummerReading #Books #SupremeCourt
Cover of the book “The Shadow Docket” by Stephen Vladeck. The image shows the U.S. Supreme Court building at night under a stormy sky. The subtitle reads: “How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.”
May 23, 2025 at 2:58 PM
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Today I learned that my car doesn’t have a spare tire and that there are giant potholes on the backroad to my dad’s place.
A close-up image of a car tire with a severely damaged and deflated sidewall, resting on a textured metal platform, likely part of a tow truck or trailer. The wheel has a geometric-patterned rim, and a yellow securing strap runs along the edge of the platform.
May 22, 2025 at 5:56 PM
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Fourth book on my summer reading list: Tightrope by Kristof and WuDunn. A look at inequality in America, though I wish it had delved deeper into how past social policies—often praised for expanding opportunity—also reinforced systemic disparities.

#SummerReading #Books #AcademicSky
Cover of the book Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The image shows a small-town street corner in Yamhill, Oregon, with an old brick building, a faded Pepsi sign, and a green road sign pointing toward Newberg and Moores Valley Road.
May 19, 2025 at 3:38 AM
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Starting book #3 of the summer reading list: Copaganda by Alec Karakatsanis. A deep dive into how police narratives shape the media we consume.

#SummerReading #Books #AcademicSky
Book cover of Copaganda by Alec Karakatsanis. The title is styled like a dictionary entry: “copaganda (noun) – how police and the media manipulate our news.” The background is solid navy blue with white text.
May 17, 2025 at 2:24 AM
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Book two of my summer reading journey: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. A beautiful blend of Indigenous wisdom, science, and the teachings of plants. Grateful for books that slow you down and deepen your understanding.

#SummerReading #BraidingSweetgrass #NatureWisdom
Cover of the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The top and bottom of the cover are bordered by braided sweetgrass. The title is centered in green text and reads: “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants.” The author’s name appears below in green: “Robin Wall Kimmerer.” At the bottom, it says, “Read by the author.” The background is a textured, warm beige.
May 15, 2025 at 1:58 PM