What began as a personal journey for monique liston has evolved into a mission to uplift and center Black women in all facets of professional and community life.
liston, who does not capitalize her name, is the founder and chief strategist of UBUNTU Research & Evaluation, an organization she founded in 2017 as a haven for Black women, femmes and non-binary folks to foster intellectual thought, leadership and vision.
Guided by the principle of “UBUNTU,” a Bantu word from Africa meaning, “I am because we are,” liston’s work is rooted in the need to protect the dignity of all Black people, with Black women and femmes leading the way.
“UBUNTU protects Black lives in the future by thinking about Black aliveness today and the tools that we do that with—our education, facilitation, and evaluation,” liston explained. “We educate people about what it means to be a better human being in this world. We facilitate so that we can be in better community with one another.
“And then we evaluate, which means looking at what you’re doing against what you want to happen, and seeing how far you are from the thing you actually want to achieve.”
The journey to self-discovery
Born and raised in Milwaukee, liston started her journey at Milwaukee Lutheran High School.
When it came time to choose a college, she set her sights on Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, D.C., following in the footsteps of her mother and aunts.
At Howard, liston studied sociology, minored in film and nonprofit studies and initially planned to become a lawyer.
However, after exploring herself and the East Coast, liston landed back in the work close to her heart: Liberation.
At Howard, liston studied sociology, minored in film and nonprofit studies. She initially planned to become a lawyer.
The beginning of UBUNTU
After completing her bachelor’s degree, liston pursued a master’s in public administration at the University of Delaware.
She then worked at a charter school in Philadelphia but was fired for speaking out against systemic injustices against Black students. And after a brief stint teaching in New York, liston returned to Milwaukee, unsure of her next steps.
liston found herself in the classroom once again at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after an adviser encouraged her to pursue a Ph.D.
The program came with full funding, and she dived into research, focusing on the dignity of boys and men of color, particularly through the lens of President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative.
That was when she discovered the field of evaluation and secured an internship with the American Evaluation Association, which solidified her passion for this work.
“I finished my Ph.D, and I was like, I’m going to take what I’ve learned and build something around it, because if I don’t, people are going to start saying that they did this work,” liston said. “They’re going to steal it right from under me. And it had started happening—I saw my dissertation work in people’s projects across the city, and I thought, ‘that’s mine.’”
Realizing that organizations often command more respect than individuals, liston created UBUNTU Research & Evaluation with the intention of creating a space where Black women’s voices and leadership could thrive.
“It’s like you can come over here and be the unapologetically smart Black girl, and it’s not an issue,” she said.
Centering Black women
liston’s commitment to centering Black women has been unwavering since childhood.
“I remember one time my mom was doing my hair, and I was looking at the cover of Ebony Magazine with Mae Jemison (the first Black woman astronaut) on it, and I told her, ‘When I grow up, I want to be a lawyer, doctor, astronaut, talk show host,’” liston recalled. “Because that’s what I saw—super successful Black women who were on the covers of Ebony and Essence magazines.”
Of UBUNTU’s staff of 13, 11 are Black women.
Shavonda Sisson, the chief of staff at UBUNTU, said it’s a completely different environment than any one she’s worked in before, because the beloved community is central to the work.
This work has not gone unnoticed. UBUNTU has received multiple accolades, including a nomination as the Best Place to Work for Social Justice by Shepherd Express Magazine and the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Diversity in Business Award.
“At UBUNTU, your work is not just what you do,” Sisson said. “It’s figuring out how to be in community with one another and how I can grow to be in community better.
She said other notable differences include how wellness is just as important as productivity at UBUNTU, which allows staff to be the best version of themselves for everyone they encounter.
“So, at work I am held accountable not only for my work but for my wellness,” Sisson said.
A joyful militant
liston’s cousin and mentor, 11-year old Marli Shorter-Swan said that while liston is strict with high standards, she is also just fun to be around. Because she believes in gaining knowledge from children, liston sees Marli as a mentor.
“I help guide her through things even though I don’t think she needs it, because she’s Dr. monique liston,” Marli said. “ But she’s happy to be around and she hosts sleepovers, even when she’s busy.”
Both liston and UBUNTU are driven by the mission of liberation. For liston, liberation means that Black people can move in the world without feeling the weight of race, gender, sexuality, class or religious affiliation.
“When none of that is a burden to bear—it just adds to the richness and the fullness of life,” she said.
As a self-described “joyful militant,” liston said liberation is on her mind everyday but so is joy.
She said understanding the context that shapes the world doesn’t have to overcome her. Instead she roots her commitments in values like dignity, beloved community and abolition (a movement to rethink systems that produce inequity).
“My commitments are really rooted in my values, not just in my context,” liston said. “I’m gonna practice those. I’m not gonna practice the harm of my context. I’m gonna practice the healing of my future.”
Others say this strategy impacts everyone liston meets.
“Monique’s welcoming energy and spirit that is so authentic that when you meet her, there is no timeline,” said Venice Williams, who liston says is like a mother to her.
“She’s so passionate about her work that it is infectious and inspiring.”
In everything she does, liston remains true to her identity.
“I would describe myself as a Black woman, full stop – that’s my main identity. That’s the core of who I am. Everything comes back to that,” she said. “And as a Black woman, my performance measures are always about how close we are to Black liberation.”
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