Dr. Arelia Johnson talks "Disruptive Justice" | Midday Break Room w/ Tiffany Bacon - 8.25.26

Dr. Arelia Johnson is a nationally recognized strategist, scholar-practitioner, and former Harris County Chief Officer of Human and Civil Rights. She is the author of the book, Hijacking Equity and the Fight for Justice: A Practical Guide to Language, Liberation, and Leadership in a Time of Fear. In this book, Dr. Johnson examines how equity language can be diluted, repackaged, or used without producing meaningful change. She can help audiences understand how organizations move beyond statements and symbolic representation toward accountability, shared power, and measurable transformation. She introduces the concept of disruptive justice: a practice of challenging systems, language, leadership norms, and institutional habits that preserve inequity while appearing neutral or inclusive. Dr. Johnson joins the show to talk about Hijacking Equity & The Fight for Justice, and to also discuss her take on “disruptive justice”, and how it applies in the workplace, and other institutions.