Shomari Jackson was raised in East St. Louis, but he spent most of his childhood and teen summers in Arizona visiting his dad. He went to college in Arizona, but as he puts it, "Arizona chewed him up and spit him out." He returned home, experienced some major life events, navigated mental health issues, and finally grappled with the questions that would move him forward: Who was he? What was he capable of? How had trauma (historical, generational, personal) affected him? And most importantly, how did he want to carry himself into the world? Shomari went on to complete both his bachelors and masters degrees, and he's been advocating for equitable change in Arizona ever since.

Today, Shomari is the owner and executive director of The South Mountain W.O.R.K.S. Coalition, a nationally recognized substance use prevention organization that focuses on systems change and building resilient communities in South Phoenix and throughout Maricopa County. He is the 2021 recipient of the Arizona Innovation in Health Equity Award, and on this episode, he shares what it means to reshape systems of inequity and support communities with an equity lens. Not only is this conversation timely, it's necessary. We hope you'll listen in.

To learn more: http://southmountainworks.org/

To connect with Shomari: [email protected] or [email protected]