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Dr. Jonathan Paul Higgins

Dr. Jonathan Paul Higgins

Writer & Social Justice Educator Focused on Gender, Race & Media

Biography

Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins (DoctorJonPaul) is an educator, national speaker, freelance journalist, thought leader, and media critic who focuses on examining the intersections of identity, gender, and race in entertainment. Named Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ People Under 40”, their work has been featured on media outlets including Essence, Ebony, Complex, MTV NEWS, Out Magazine, BET & Paper Magazine. Dr. Higgins is a Culture Strike 2021 Disruptor, a 2021 IHeartRadio NextUp Fellow, and has been part of cohorts at Lambda Literary, Hillman Grad Productions, Maynard Institute and the Poynter Foundation. Dr. Higgins is a trailblazer who is sharing the stories their ancestors didn’t get to tell. Read More >

Dr. Higgins is currently the Executive Assistant to Colman Domingo and Edith Entertainment, as well as a professor of Educational Justice at the University of Redlands. They have continue to develop and co-create inclusion projects with industry leaders including Fox, the NFL, Apple, Disney, Instagram and most recently completed work on GLAAD’s 2021 HIV Stigma Report. They have also been a featured speaker for TEDx and competed on the latest season of Netflix’s hit show, Nailed It.

They hold a doctorate in educational justice and often write and lecture about what liberation means for Black, queer, non-binary people and how we can help them not just survive, but thrive. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

TEDx: From Fear to Freedom

A Lesson In Toxic Masculinity

Embracing Personal Power

Black.

Speech Topics

The Power of Unlearning: The System is Invisible on Purpose

In this discussion, we will look at concepts that are related to the working and teachings of Peggy McIntosh. We will examine the our own “knapsacks”, what we carry with us on a daily basis. We will also discuss what it means for marginalized individuals to carry a heavier backpack and what it means for the collective team to work collaboratively to lessen these weights.

All Oppression is Connected

In this discussion, we will look at vocabulary and the ways in which oppression can be defined. This conversation will focus on concepts of gender, race, class, and sexual orientation while highlighting the oppression that overlaps between each of the identities. The focus will be to highlight the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw and her thoughts on intersectionality as it refers to marginalized people and the oppressions that live between each of their identities.

Adding Equity to Our Equality

The terms equity and equality are often used interchangeably. For most, while it is important to be treated fairly, many are vying for proportional representation. In this presentation, we will examine the ways in which equality and equity differ and the importance of implementing practices rooted in equity.

From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Putting Things in Motion

While there is no silver bullet strategy to add equity to an organization, steps need to be taken in order to change the ways in which we think about belonging. In this discussion, we will dive into what it means to design a culture where there is belonging and what it means to create moments to both understand and comprehend another’s life experience.