Tammy Johnson is very clear. Her life’s purpose is to be a happy Black woman. Some days that shows up as a shimmy in the middle of a workshop on racial equity, and on others it is simply a pause for breath. Johnson is a dancer, producer, culture keeper, writer, equity consultant and godmother extraordinaire. Her kinfolk in Tennessee taught her how to be a love-warrior as they fought for their right to just be as Black people. Later as a community organizer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Johnson directed living wage, welfare rights, public education and election campaigns. She has partnered with World Trust and Art / Work Practice, and spent a decade at Race Forward advancing racial justice as a national organizer, trainer, writer, policy analyst and public speaker. Johnson co-produced the television special Colorlines: Race and Economic Recovery with LinkTV, and has written for the Christian Science Monitor, The Huffington Post, and Colorlines.com. As an independent consultant she has successfully brought somatics and artistic wisdom to the fore with groups like The Laundromat Project and the Young Women’s Freedom Center. Specializing in Egyptian style bellydancing, Johnson was the 2016 recipient of Deborah Slater’s Studio 210 Residency Program. She performed as part of ChimaTEK: Hybridity Visualization Mandala, a piece created by renowned performance visual artists Saya Woolfalk. For fifteen years Johnson and Etang Inyang performed as the award-winning duet Raks Africa, and co-directed Girls Raks Bellydance and Body Image program. The Oakland, California based Johnson stays true to her path by embracing work that moves us all closer to a world guided by justice and healing, and most importantly, work that gives her joy.
You can find out more about Tammy at tjuniverse.com
