Alencia Johnson Isn’t Just Flipping Tables. She’s Building New Ones.

Alencia Johnson doesn’t just navigate power—she redefines it. As a nationally recognized strategist, cultural critic, and faith-forward activist, she has built a career at the intersection of policy, culture, and movement work, shaping narratives that inspire people and challenge institutions to do better.

Johnson’s impact spans politics, media, and advocacy. She served on the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden, often behind the scenes, moving conversations from the margins to the mainstream. Her work isn’t just about visibility—it’s about transformation. While serving as director of public engagement at Planned Parenthood, she was instrumental in launching the groundbreaking Stand With Black Women campaign, which became a rallying cry across the country. From there she founded 1063 West Broad, a social impact agency named after her childhood home address in Virginia, dedicated to building strategy, culture, and community for people and organizations committed to equity. Her influence extends far beyond political campaigns. As a sought-after commentator, Johnson’s voice has been featured across MSNBC, CNN, BET, and in publications like The Washington Post, Essence, and right here at Glamour.

Now, with the release of her debut book, Flip the Tables: The Everyday Disruptor’s Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change, Johnson invites us deeper. Rooted in the biblical story of Jesus flipping over the tables in the temple, the book is part guide, part challenge, and part spiritual reckoning.

“My faith grounds me in my life, and especially the work to better the world around me,” she writes. “It’s imperative for all of us to have some spiritual anchor.” In a time when the idea of faith is often distorted by white Christian nationalism, Johnson is reclaiming Christianity as a tool for justice, not oppression.

That spiritual clarity fuels her critique of today’s political and corporate climate. In an era where many institutions backpedal under political pressure, Johnson refuses to stay silent. “It’s been pretty disgusting to see so many companies cave quickly to the executive actions,” she says. “They forget the influence they have over the president.” Her message is unwavering: Proximity to power is not the same as having power. True power belongs to those willing to flip the table when the table itself is broken.

Johnson has spent her career doing just that—flipping tables, building bridges, and calling us all to be braver, bolder, and more rooted in purpose. With Flip the Tables, she’s not just sharing her story. She’s handing us the toolkit.

Glamour: I want to start with your “Red Flag Is You” chapter. You describe the moment you realized you already had everything you needed within you. In an era of constant self-optimization—another panel, another self-help book—it’s easy to feel like we’re always one step away from being “ready.” How do we, especially as Black women, learn to trust ourselves and stop delaying our own power?

Alencia Johnson: I found myself constantly thinking, I can’t wait to talk to my therapist about this on Monday at 5. Then one day I was sitting in a church talk led by a mental health professional who’s a friend, and I thought, You already know this. You’re just afraid to trust yourself. And I’ll be honest—therapy was coming out of my pocket. I was buying the books, spending $200 a week on advice I could give my friends, but I couldn’t take myself. That was the moment I realized: This is where the real work begins. I’ve been in and out of therapy most of my life, and I’ll go back—it’s a resource for different seasons. But I couldn’t keep using it as a crutch while telling others to trust themselves. I wasn’t stepping into my own power. I was the roadblock.