Mia Henry

Pronouns

she/her

What do you do as a consultant/coach?

I offer equity training and political education to progressive nonprofits and public libraries. I also offer extended meeting and retreat facilitation.

What is your approach? 

My training approach centers power, not any specific identity. I teach frameworks for understanding equity and justice and how this can be applied to internal and external work/ways of being.

I also have online asynchronous modules to support clients outside of live training and facilitation.

How has your experience/background contributed to your work?

I was the founding director of the Chicago Freedom School and the executive director of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership.

For four years, I facilitated gatherings of Black organizers in five cities through work with the Center for Community Change. I also co-founded a neighborhood organization in South Shore in Chicago.

I co-developed a training for public libraries in partnership with the Public Library Association.

As a facilitator I have mostly supported abolitionists groups, Black organizers, philanthropy focused on racial equity, and public library leadership teams.

I am currently not taking on any coaching clients, but all of my clients have been Black women with leadership roles in community-organizing nonprofits, higher education, and philanthropy.

Relevant certifications or trainings

I’ve attended the Rockwood Leadership Institute and the Interaction Institute for Social Change, both in person. I also brought in the ERACCE training, which was a subsidiary of Crossroads. At Arcus we hosted a variety of trainers from across the country that also served as teachers to me while they offered their services to the public. Internally at Arcus I invited and participated in staff trainings with Kevin John Fong and adrienne maree brown. I’ve also done the nine month Playing Big Facilitator’s Training with Tara Mohr.

After much deliberation, I decided not to pursue a coaching certificate, as I realized that was not my purposeful work.

Sample clients

SEIU, Denver Public Library, Emerson College, Love + Protect, UMedics, National Immigrant Justice Center; see also, training clients listed on my website.