At the core of the intractability of racism is the persistent cultivation of our collective ignorance of it. We are stuck because we cannot imagine a world beyond racism. We are also stuck because engaging with issues of racism with others usually produces immense acrimony and little result. Brave Community responds to this challenge.
A research-based, practice manual for anyone who wants to tackle racism and help others to do the same in classrooms and organizations.
“She tailors her brilliance and her Brave Community method to our needs, and we are deeply grateful. ”
Janine is a writer, sociologist, and cultural strategist interested in liberation as a cultural project, a matter of (un)learning. Her 2023 book Brave Community: Teaching for a Post-Racist Imagination, is a practice manual for anyone who wants to create empathetic and resilient conditions for learning about racism to intervene in it. As a cultural strategist, she combines engaged pedagogy, the sociology of race and culture, and expertise adult learning to support individuals and organizations. Janine held academic positions at Harvard University (2017-2018) and the University of Delaware (2018-2022). Before that, she was the Associate Director of Columbia University’s Center for the Core Curriculum. Janine was born and raised in Cabo Verde and currently resides in Philadelphia.
Context-specific, actionable support for individuals and organizations seeking to shape change, including through the development of racial and cultural literacy, adaptive leadership, strategic planning, strategic communications, and coaching.
Recent clients: Delaware Dept of Education, New York University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Queens Museum, The New Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Cave Canem Foundation, The Laundromat Project.
“Janine de Novais is the person that everyone who knows her turns to for guidance. She always has an informed, sophisticated, direct, and loving opinion about our lives, work, creative journeys, and systems. I have hired Janine to help me upgrade my support team as my visibility grew and to help myself and other Black feminist authors envision ideal support for our work. She tailors her brilliance to our needs, and we are deeply grateful.” —adrienne maree brown, artist, activist, and best-selling author of Emergent Strategy, Pleasure Activism, and We Will Not Cancel Us.