Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lucretia Berry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lucretia, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

Brownicity /broun nisədē/

Made from the words brown and ethnicity. Brown represents melanin, the brown pigment we all have. Ethnicity means that which we have in common. Essentially, we all are hues of brown!

In 2015, following the Charleston Massacre, a demand arose among the public for understanding why/how racism continued to thrive. Brownicity launched in 2015 with the purpose of making important, scholarly-informed, anti-racism education accessible — education that ‘brings people together’ amid a divisive racial climate. A former professor of education, founder and President Dr. Lucretia Berry designed curricula and other learning experiences to on-board beginners of all ages by partnering with individuals, churches, schools, and companies.

Needing to extend access beyond its Charlotte, NC area base, in September 2019, Brownicity launched an online education platform offering expert-led courses, workshops, and talks. To date (2023), the online platform has hosted over 18k enrollments.

Hope-holders for humanity, Brownicity remains dedicated to offering eye-opening education for those eager to learn.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD is an author, educator, speaker, and the visionary founder of Brownicity, an agency committed to making important, scholarly-informed, antiracism education accessible, and the director of its learning community. With the tagline, Many Hues, One Humanity, Brownicity’s mission is to foster education designed to inspire a culture of justice and true belonging for all.

Lucretia earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and MA in English from Iowa State University, and her BA from South Carolina State University. A former college professor, Lucretia’s research, experience, and accomplishments lie at the intersections of curriculum and instruction, multicultural and anti-racism education, and instructional technology. She contributed to the design of and was an instructor for Carver Academy Multicultural Learning Communities Project (Iowa State University), which was nationally recognized for increasing the retention rate for underrepresented students. A leader in her field, Lucretia was the vice president of the Equity and Social Justice Committee for Society of Information Technology in Teacher Education. She served on the steering committee for the Social Justice and Digital Equity Pre-conference Symposium, where she had the privilege of working with colleagues from around the world to grant the international Outstanding Service to Digital Equity Award.

As a wife in an interracial marriage and mom of three multiethnic children, Lucretia brings her personal and professional experience to the public sector where she is passionate about serving children and their adult decision-makers. She synthesized a multitude of consultations with children, parents, teachers, and leaders to launch a grassroots education organization, Brownicity (2015). Lucretia designed curricula and other learning experiences to onboard and support learners of all ages by partnering with individuals, churches, schools, and companies.

Designing Brownicity’s flagship course What LIES Between Us – Fostering First Steps Toward Racial Healing (2016) and self-publishing the course’s study guide catapulted Lucretia into the writing world. She authored Hues of You – An Activity Book for Learning About the Skin You Are In (2022) to help children build community, connection, and positive pathways regarding phenotypic, ethnic, cultural, and racial diversity within humanity without the stigma or fear of talking about race/ism. She co-authored Teaching for Justice and Belonging – A Journey for Educators and Parents. Her 2017 TED Talk, ‘Children will light up the world if we don’t keep them in the dark’ is well received.

Lucretia is a curriculum specialist for Community School of Davidson (NC) where she designed and teaches Antiracism 101, a high school elective. She is also a contributor for (In)courage.me, a DaySpring online community. She is married to Nathan; they have three daughters and two aussiedoodles, and live in North Carolina.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a writer and curriculum designer is hearing testimonials about how a course I designed or a story I shared has initiated transformation and liberation for someone.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I am committed to my values as an educator– treating learners with dignity and respect, holding a psychologically safe space for people to bravely learn, creating from a source of love, creating the conditions that will enable learners to become themselves.

My clients trust me and know that I see and value the whole human. They see me as a guide to racial healing, not someone attempting to invoke emotion and determine their mindset.

All of my clients have reached out to me by word of mouth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brownicity.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucretiaberry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brownicity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucretia-berry-b766005b/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/brownicity
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brownicitymanyhuesonehuman757/