InnovateHer: Culture, Code, and the Fight for Belonging with Jihan J
How one cultural architect is infusing hip-hop, disrupting tech, and building the community she needed
At Thinkering Media and the Thinkering Collective, we believe that innovation is not just about what you build — it’s about who you build it for. And too often, the stories of Women of Color driving transformative change in education, technology, and community spaces are overlooked or under-resourced.
The InnovateHer series exists to change that. In Episode 3, host Yaritza Villalba sat down with Jihan Johnson — also known as Jihan J — a cultural architect, futurist, and founder of the Jihan Collective and BeatBotics. Their conversation wasn’t just a spotlight on a remarkable career — it was a deep dive into the complexities of authenticity, equity, and survival in a system not built for you.
The work starts at home — and hits globally
When asked to introduce herself, Jihan didn’t start with job titles or accolades. She started with this: “I’m just a mom.” That grounding — the commitment to family, community, and real-life stakes — runs through everything she does, whether she’s building global networks in tech, teaching eSports, or designing cultural curriculum rooted in hip-hop.
From the start, Jihan made one thing clear: this isn’t about trying to fit in. It’s about building systems where people don’t have to leave their full selves behind. Whether in eSports, tech, or education, she’s been navigating — and disrupting — male-dominated, white-dominated spaces for years. Her tools? Cultural fluency, radical authenticity, and a refusal to code-switch just to get in the door.
“I’ve been the face for everybody else. Now it’s time to be the face for myself — and for people who need to see someone like me lead.”
Hip-Hop is the language of our learning
For Jihan, hip-hop isn’t a gimmick. It’s not an add-on to make curriculum “cool.” It’s the cultural backbone of how communities learn, connect, and process the world. Her workshops — from “Game Changers and Mic Masters” to her work with BeatBotics — blend hip-hop fundamentals with creative technology, allowing students and teachers alike to engage through rhythm, lyricism, storytelling, and digital design.
In her words, “Hip-hop is a global language. It's dancing, it's production, it's storytelling, it's identity. And it's already embedded in the games, the clothes, the platforms. We're just not naming it or honoring it.”
This isn’t nostalgia — it’s design. By integrating hip-hop into EdTech, she’s not just reaching students. She’s rebuilding their confidence and agency. Students write freestyles, design avatars, remix beats — all while engaging with AI tools, game theory, and narrative structure. This is what culturally grounded STEM looks like.
The discrimination no one wants to talk about — and why she walked away
But make no mistake: this work comes at a cost.
Jihan spoke candidly about being let go from a major tech company for making colleagues “uncomfortable.” She described being the only woman of color in the room — not just once, but repeatedly. Even now, despite her credentials, she sees peers without her experience securing contracts and recognition she’s been denied.
“They say you’re too much. But what they really mean is, you’re not willing to shrink.”
When the system failed to value her brilliance, she built her own. The Jihan Collective is her consulting platform and personal brand — rooted in cultural authenticity, human-centered design, and a refusal to replicate the same exclusionary norms. She’s also building tech platforms like BeatBotics with her son, anchoring education in identity, creativity, and family.
Against state testing, for real-world learning
In one of the episode’s most powerful moments, Jihan shared that she left education after a health crisis brought on by job stress. She described passing out at school, needing emergency surgery, and re-learning how to walk — all while still trying to meet the demands of a system that, in her words, “valued test scores more than children’s lives.”
She now advocates for learning that happens in and outside the classroom — learning that doesn’t depend on state testing or compliance metrics.
“Education is everywhere. It’s not just in a classroom. It’s in homes. It’s in travel. It’s in rhythm. It’s in connection.”
What others call culture, she calls home
Jihan doesn’t just push for culturally responsive teaching. She exposes how that language is being diluted and commodified — used for hashtags and conference panels without lived experience or accountability.
She challenges educators and EdTech leaders alike to stop extracting culture for content and start investing in the communities that created it. That means showing up, redistributing access, and asking the question she poses on her socials regularly: “How did you create impact today?”
“If you’re not stepping foot into Title I schools, into urban classrooms, into the communities you claim to serve — you’re not doing the work.”
A message for those coming up next
Jihan closed the episode with a message not just for women in tech, but for anyone navigating spaces that weren’t designed for them:
“Be yourself. Authentically, loudly, and without apology. You are the light. You are the brilliance. Never let anyone dim that. And never quit. Rest, sure. But never quit.”
Why this story matters to us
At Thinkering Media and the Thinkering Collective, we are building a new kind of storytelling platform — one that centers the lived experiences of educators, innovators, and community builders pushing for justice through creativity.
Jihan’s story reminds us that equity isn't a workshop. It’s a practice. It’s boots on the ground. It’s building what didn’t exist for you, so others don’t have to start from scratch.
We’re honored to share this episode with you, and we hope it sparks something powerful — whether in your classroom, your boardroom, or your own creative life.
For more stories like this, subscribe to InnovateHer, explore our full podcast library, and join us in rewriting the story of who gets to lead, build, and belong in the future of learning.
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