Unlocking Inclusion: A Pathway to Distributive Justice

Meet Your Instructor

Hi, I’m Dr. Arelia Johnson — also known as The Identity Professor. I created Unlocking Inclusion because far too many systems claim to be inclusive while maintaining structures rooted in exclusion, segregation, and token integration. I built this course to help you name those distinctions, challenge the structures behind them, and push toward what we’re really after: distributive justice. I’ve spent over two decades working across education, government, justice systems, and community organizing — always at the intersection of race, gender, and policy. I hold a Ph.D. in Sociology and Criminology from Howard University with a concentration in sexuality and gender studies and a minor in African-American literature. I’ve taught students in public schools and college classrooms, designed equity trainings for government agencies, and written about identity, justice, and power through my book Thick: The Ideal of Beauty, The Social Construction of Perfection, and Their Impacts on Women and courses like Language Matters: How to Lead with Confidence in Hostile Spaces (Preorder Now). My work centers the lived experiences of Black women, challenges performative gestures, and redefines language as a tool for transformation. I don’t teach equity through a corporate lens—I teach it through lived experience, deep scholarship, and real accountability. You didn’t enroll in this course to feel better. You enrolled to do better. Let’s get free—for real this time.