Julia Ismael is an odd bird. 

See, she stepped out on a word and that word said, "No matter how difficult, learn to tell the truth." And, she lost jobs and even volunteer positions because she simply cannot understand how others tolerate injustice and deceit with such ease. Through repetition of an unwelcome process Julia learned to say things like, "I love myself. I know my worth. And no one can take that from me," until she believed it. [Now, repeat.]
Julia also needed to convince Julia that law is law; it is not a suggestion. She learned the written word of 'justice' as it's inscribed in legal documents, employee handbooks, organizational bylaws, strategic plans, budgets, proposals...performance reviews, official (aka "written") complaints, appeals, resignation letters, Equal Employment Opportunity law, unemployment benefit applications. Mortgage modification applications. Paper has power.
Julia learned that no matter the chose-your-own-adventure as this Black Woman says, it shall always be harder for no good reason except one: The body to which she was born. And because of this challenge, She's learning more, and she's learning faster by approximately 450 years worth. It wasn't water, it was fuel. Living for Love.
No one notified Julia that she won an award for living like Black Women. Yet everyday, Julia celebrates the occasion of the sun rising again, sharing with us ALL yet another opportunity to understand each other better. Yes, there are degrees from institutions involved. Yet, she stand before you most proud of her autodidactic degree in Liberation of Self and a diploma from the Secondary Community School of Hard Knocks and Love. Today, Julia completes orientation to the School of Now.
Her degree of Love-Power shall institutionalize equity for all peoples by any means necessary. She is not patient. And. She tells the truth to be effective, and that requires grace. Julia commits to listening to time, and to give voice and strength to her inner child. May she always have a mentor younger than herself. Learn more about how she insists on changing the world: THAT'S EQUITY!

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Education:
B.A., Antioch University, Leadership and Organizational Development
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​​Publication:
It Takes Heart: The Experiences and Working Conditions of Caring Educators

Keywords:
​Equity, Equity Assessment, Anti-Racism, Institutionalize Equity, Complaint Systems, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, Standardize Equity, Equity Assessment, Management, Human Resources, Complaint Systems, Restorative Justice, Restorative systems, Standardize Equity, Hiring and Retention, Culture, Intersectional Identities, Women, Women in Islam, Black History (Futures), Organizational Development, Employee Experience, Nature of Work / Labor, Employee Resource Groups, Future of Equity, Love/Grace/Power, Imagination

Current Fields of Focus:
​Education, Human and Social Services, Health Care, Arts and Culture, Non-Profit, For-Profit, Philanthropy, Venture Capital, Insurance Liability, Labor Unions 

"I've had a hard year and I've been working really hard for things that are very important to me, and the things you said were just exactly what I needed to hear in that moment, and the space you created was just the space I needed to have.  I felt so connected to you while you were talking, and as the time went on, I felt more and more connected to the rest of the people in the room as well. I really needed that. I thought what you said was brilliant...I appreciate you and the fact that you are out there in the world doing the work you are doing.  Just knowing that makes me feel less alone. Thank you."
- An Employee

"What you spoke of came from your heart, and I felt like everyone in the room was willing to trust you. We trusted you with our true selves and you were so careful with us. Thank you. I really felt blessed and honored to sit in that room, with strangers, and be in that moment. Thank you for gently bringing us into that space, and gently releasing us back into the world."  - A Teacher

REDEFINING PROFESSIONalism

We all know at some level that even a well meaning goal of demographic diversity in any organization is simply not enough. What happens when we are at the table? Suddenly, our hair is not to “standard”, our word choice is too rich until we discover we are not actually welcome here. 
We define what "professionalism' means. Institutionalizing equity centers the absolute necessity to redefine what it means to be qualified: What we look like, sound like, behave. We need assurance of expertise, but how we choose to work together is our decision.
We sit together with equal time to explore the future, be bold in our imagination, and confident in our voice. Listening circles invite a slow down, an opportunity for each participant to share stories that give birth to new ideas. Join us, as we collectively define our future standard while practicing what we already know feels right.

The NEW nature of work​

​Some call our new relationship with work "The Great Resignation". It seems that we're not all that eager to return to the J.O.B. but instead find ourselves exploring both the hustle, and the very role of labor work itself. This month, we take a look at how we got here - wage labor has its own interesting story with its own beginning...As the means by which to acquire money evolve, the intrinsic value of money itself must also change. Money can make money now- not time or skill - so where does that leave the value of labor? And who's labor? Recently I've read the meme, "What's your dream job?"
"I don't dream of labor," as a response hits hard. We must recognize the prominent role capitalism/money plays in how we experience equity. It feels like it's a good time we redefine the nature of work, its value, and role of work in our lives. 

institutionalizing equity 

We, those most affected by inequity, now in unison move beyond dialogue and into the action of institutionalizing equity. But how are we doing it? While we examine the fundamental nature of work, we purposefully focus our attention on new practices, policies, procedures that encourage equity and eliminate the opportunity for biases. Join us as best practices are shared and witness the creation of new systems that truly represent our thirst for humanity in all we do. In our time together, we employ a listening circle format to invite the collective wisdom in the room as we make tangible our intentions. That’s Equity!

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