We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fernell Miller, Jen Self, Mollie Monahan N/a a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Fernell Miller, Jen Self, Mollie Monahan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our mission at the Racial Healing Project is to historicize, humanize and heal the deep wounds of racial and gender injustice within ourselves and others.
Fernell Miller, Jen Self, Mollie Monahan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
About ourselves… we are Black, white and genderqueer… three change makers who came together during a time when we felt alone and isolated in this work. We model what it looks and feels like to have critical conversations across racial and gender identities in the context of deep relationship and friendship.
Services we provide…. we keynote, coach, consult, strategize and heal. We work with kids and adults across sectors – education, nonprofit and corporate. We provide trainings, offer online and in person courses, racial healing circles and affinity spaces. We offer packages that include assessment of organizational equity, and the follow up work to transform systems and culture.
We solve the problem of disconnection and dehumanization, and how both of these things get embedded within our systems.
What sets us apart from others doing this work… We don’t know anyone doing this work the way we do. There are many solo consultants who are able to serve organizations from their individual identities and gifts, but we lean heavily on the power of our collective voice. We believe that we are each other’s medicine. We heal and do better together. That’s true everywhere – and we model what it looks like in a tangible way.
What we are most proud of… our approach is therapeutic and healing, we acknowledge truth and power, but we are not about laying blame and casting people out. This is really about healing and bringing people together. The only way to heal is to acknowledge and show grace and love. We do that for ourselves, for each other, and for our clients and community.
How’d you meet your business partner?
We found each other online during the pandemic, a time when we were feeling isolated and alone in the work. We were seeking other educators and healers to connect with and engage in transformational change. Under the umbrella of the Equity Institute, who offered intentional online space to gather for wholeness, healing and liberation, we found ourselves gathering daily in multigenerational, multiethnic, gender fluid online spaces to share ideas, be together and heal. It was during that time that the world witnessed the heinous murder of George Floyd, and as consultants who had been in the work for years, we found ourselves asked to deepen and multiply our capacity to show up for the work. We are so grateful to have found each other. As our friendship continues to grow, we love bringing others into what we have. The collective voice grows and grows.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Well… “brand loyalty,” is not really language we use… but we are very loyal to our ethics and values. Just look at the things we do: Brick 13 (movement building), LOVE KIDS, the Root of Our Youth (these are some of our programs). They are emblematic of the way we are always in a state of connection and humanizing flow. People can’t get enough of us because we are offering something that humanity is deprived of!
Contact Info:
- Other: All of us: https://www.equity.institute/consultants Mollie Monahan: https://socialjusticekids.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-monahan-phd/ https://www.instagram.com/dr_mollie/ Fernell Miller: https://www.therootofus.com/ https://linktr.ee/therootofus https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernellmiller/ https://www.facebook.com/therootofus https://www.instagram.com/therootofus/ Tiktok https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCConoCXDVS6D6K7JTITYDWQ Jen Self: https://www.Brick13.com https://www.athenaplace.com/team/jen-self-phd https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjenself13/ Tik Tok: queerjedi
Image Credits
Alyse Yeaman Mollie Monahan Fernell Miller Jen Self