Antiracist Voter - How to Move Beyond Allyship, with Dawn Johnson, White Elephant Consulting

Aug 07 2020 37 mins 4

Awareness of racism is the first step. Dawn Johnson helps White women to move from awareness, to ally, to an accomplice, to activist.

Dawn Johnson describes herself as a leader, speaker, coach, motivator, and “a dope-ass black woman entrepreneur.” Through her company “White Elephant Consulting,” she works with White women who are ready to support Black women.

The Only Black Woman in the Room

In her corporate career, Dawn often found herself as the first Black woman to step into a role. “I was the only Black woman in my company, in the very beginning,” she explains. “I got shipped to Minnesota after my 90-day training. The office was full of White guys and one older White woman.

“They had no idea how to talk to me, how to engage me. I knew that showing up Black in a majority-White space – I had to get up to speed quickly. There were no mentors for me. I was thrown into the fire.

“I had a huge territory. My job was to go to small towns in Wisconsin, the upper peninsula of Michigan, Duluth, Superior, and all these small towns. I had to sell hot dogs to White guys, and meat cutters. Many of them had never had a conversation with a Black woman. I felt like a damn pioneer. Because of how I’m wired, I had to get over it. I had to see people as people.”

But she was not treated as an equal. “It was like ‘You’re funny. You’re articulate. You’re so pretty and thin. How’d you get this job?’ There was this constant question of ‘How the hell are you here?’”

Dawn found that she had to continuously explain her credentials and justify her presence in White spaces. “Every day, I had to get up and give myself a pep talk that I am worthy and excellent at what I do.

“It took me 22 years and time away from corporate America to process the trauma of all that I endured.”

White Elephant Consulting

Dawn eventually left her corporate career. She took some time to heal. “This is three years into my healing journey,” she says. “and my entrepreneurial journey. I had no idea until I removed myself from it, how damaged I was.”

John C. Maxwell trained her as a trainer, professional speaker, and coach. “The life coaching aspect really spoke to me. I use my experiences to help you to connect to things you have blocked that are preventing you from being your best you.”

Dawn launched her coaching career at the beginning of 2020. “And then there was this thing called a pandemic that hit,” Dawn says. “And shortly after that, there was the murder of George Floyd. That completely changed the world. It triggered in me a desire to educate White women.”

Dawn pivoted and launched What Elephant Consulting. “I take my experiences as a Black woman into corporate America, into small businesses, with individuals to talk about the white elephant in the room, which is race.

“I believe that women lead change. Life comes through women. If I can connect heart-to-heart with White women, I can create change in them so that they can move forward in their allyship.

“I have been moved in my work to align with White women so that White women can hear Black women speak. They can listen to our stories and be moved by our stories. They can be activists. They can amplify us as Black mothers.

“We are in a time of awakening—Minnesota wok up the world to what we’ve always known.

“I want the ‘woke’ White women to move from just being woke, to ally, to an accomplice, to activist.”

Dawn offers opportunities for White and Black women to connect through forums, retreats, and, of course, virtual formats.