Even Me: A Journey of Self-Discovery, Cultural Humility, and Commitment to Anti-Racist Practice
Author(s): Kenya Johnson
Summary:
Even Me gathers threads from a life lived across five decades, tracing how the author's identities-visible and felt-have steadied, unsettled, and propelled her journey as a social worker. This auto-ethnography is both a record of experience and an invitation: to reflect on one's own journey, to consider the power each person holds, the questions carried, and the curiosity that invites connection across differences.
At its core, the book chronicles a journey of self-discovery, cultural humility, and anti-racism in practice. While rooted in social work, its meaning extends to anyone who shows up in the world with a desire to learn from moments of self-discovery.
Throughout the narrative, cultural humility is foregrounded as both practice and stance. Learning arises through listening, grappling with power dynamics, and recognizing how systems shape what is known.
The book challenges the old division between anti-racism and daily work, arguing that weaving anti-racist commitments into every interaction, decision, and policy is not an optional extension of helping professions but their heartbeat.
Ultimately, Even Me is about embodying the standards we invite in others: modeling cultural humility, embracing accountability, and staying present with people who carry histories as heavy as one's own. It is honest, imperfect, and hopeful-a testament to the power within each person to heal, to grow, and to act for justice.
Even Me gathers threads from a life lived across five decades, tracing how the author's identities-visible and felt-have steadied, unsettled, and propelled her journey as a social worker. This auto-ethnography is both a record of experience and an invitation: to reflect on one's own journey, to consider the power each person holds, the questions carried, and the curiosity that invites connection across differences. At its core, the book chronicles a journey of self-discovery, cultural humility, and anti-racism in practice. While rooted in social work, its meaning extends to anyone who shows up in the world with a desire to learn from moments of self-discovery. Throughout the narrative, cultural humility is foregrounded as both practice and stance. Learning arises through listening, grappling with power dynamics, and recognizing how systems shape what is known. The book challenges the old division between anti-racism and daily work, arguing that weaving anti-racist commitments into every interaction, decision, and policy is not an optional extension of helping professions but their heartbeat. Ultimately, Even Me is about embodying the standards we invite in others: modeling cultural humility, embracing accountability, and staying present with people who carry histories as heavy as one's own. It is honest, imperfect, and hopeful-a testament to the power within each person to heal, to grow, and to act for justice.