Bree Carlson brings years of organizing experience in community, labor, and electoral projects. Working extensively throughout the United States and abroad, Bree has provided training and facilitation to groups ranging from grassroots community organizations and state-wide coalitions to regional intermediaries and national organizations. Bree has assisted in the creation and implementation of the Dismantling Racism curriculum and has trained hundreds of organizations in the DR process, board development, strategic planning, and fundraising. She is currently Director of the Structural Racism Project at National People’s Action.
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Jonathan Henderson was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Over the past decade, he has been active in various grassroots projects; he co-founded the Greensboro Community Arts Collective, Cakalak Thunder and the Greensboro HIVE. Jonathan was a 2011 participant in the Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizing Training Program for White Activists where his appreciation for the importance of education around issues of racism and oppression deepened. Jonathan's tremendous love of music has led him towards a career in music teaching and performance. He has a great admiration for the the role of culture in liberation movements and strives to bring the fire of justice and the courage of hope to his artistic pursuits. Jonathan holds a B.A. in Sociology from Guilford College.
Michelle Johnson has been part of the dRworks training team for the past 10 years. Michelle received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary and her Masters in Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill. Michelle is a licensed clinical social worker and specializes in working with people who have experienced trauma, survivors of sexual violence, people exploring racial identity, and people who struggle with body image issues and eating disorders. Michelle is a local yoga teacher and serves on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. She is an ambassador for the Africa Yoga Project and transforms lives through yoga and social change locally and globally. She believes in and practices speaking truth to justice and she understands the importance of us becoming embodied to move in a more intentional thoughtful way in the world.
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Jes Kelley is a subversive southerner who has had the honor of training with dRworks since 2011. She joined the dRworks team after ten years of being shaped by and submerged within struggles for reproductive justice, LGBTQI liberation, and food sovereignty. These movements helped her to find meaning in the world and reinforced the importance of addressing issues of race in any sector of change work. She believes that there is much wisdom in listening, much truth in our bodies and much possibility for growth when we are in touch with ourselves.
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Tema Okun has spent many years working for and in the social justice community. For over 10 of those years she worked in partnership with the late and beloved Kenneth Jones as part of the ChangeWork training group and now facilitates long-term anti-racism, anti-oppression work as a member of the dRworks collaborative. She holds a BA from Oberlin College, a Masters in Adult Education from N.C. State University, and a doctorate from UNC-Greensboro. She is author of The Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching About Race and Racism to People Who Don't Want to Know; the book is written to capture the collective learning of both ChangeWork and dRworks after several decades of focused race equity work.
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Dismantling Racism Works celebrates and mourns Cynthia Brown, a long-time colleague, friend, and mentor, a spiritual warrior, social justice advocate, trainer and beloved. Cynthia was a huge generous sprit, a freedom fighter, a mentor and teacher to us and so many others. She brought a hearty laugh, a willingness to ask the difficult challenging question, a deep desire to truly understand another's perspective, grace and beauty and power. We will forever miss her clear-headed and loving leadership and counsel and she will remain forever in our hearts and bones. Cynthia was a native of Reidsville, NC, received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C. and her Masters of Public Affairs from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro (UNC-G). She brought us over 30 years of social justice activism and used training to increase grassroots community people’s capacity to build their own organizations, build effective alliances, and advocate for public policies to address their needs. Cynthia was a fellow in the W.K. Kellogg National Fellowship Program. Cynthia had extensive international experience, was a former city council woman in Durham, a 2002 U.S. Senatorial Candidate, and she co-chaired the first U.S. Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Greensboro. We are heartbroken that she is no longer with us and so grateful that we had the opportunity to work and learn and grow with her.
The Dismantling Racism process is offered in memory and celebration of the life and work of the late Kenneth Jackson Jones (1950-2004). Kenneth was a visionary and a leader, an organizer and a teacher, our friend and our colleague. We deeply miss him.The Dismantling Racism process was developed with his leadership. We believe that its value in the lives of so many people and organizations is a demonstration of Kenneth’s enormous contribution to our continued struggle to realize our vision, and his, of a just world.
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