Aaron’s speaking topics weave together platonic touch, grief as a sacred process, Earth-building as a return to self, and singing as collective medicine.
He creates spaces where truth can rise gently, and transformation can root itself deeply.
CURRENT KEYNOTE
In this intimate and thought-provoking talk, Aaron Johnson explores what it means to be Chronically UnderTouched and how systemic disconnection from platonic touch shapes the emotional lives of Black men.
Rooted in his personal healing journey and the documentary "Dark and Tender," Aaron asks audiences to consider how tenderness, grief, and non-sexual touch can become liberatory practices. This keynote creates a container for reflection, resonance, and a deeper commitment to collective care.
SINGING AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE
Singing is an organic way for us to be tender, as well as resilient. Singing allows us to celebrate each other at the same time, an evolutionary piece that brings us together. Singing is akin to breathing, bringing in life, witnessed in protests and grief ceremonies alongside celebrations and joy. We must fight to sing in modern-day America, singing for resistance & communal resilience.
INTERSECTIONS OF SEX AND RACE
An educational conversation that brings to life the idea that sex education in America without awareness of lynching is incomplete. This talk is slowing down the importance of sex in America as it has been framed by white violence, analyzing the prevalence of the black brute archetype throughout education. Every time we interrupt this narrative with images of tenderness, it lands as inappropriate or uncomfortable. Tender, black human sexuality is rare & sacred.
The Chronically UnderTouched & the Effects on the Global Majority
Dr. Kate and Aaron talk about how men benefit from Platonic Touch with other men including physical touch as well as energetic presence, song, movement, nature connection, and deep listening. Aaron is committed to interrupting the Chronically UnderTouched trauma story and be a part of the collective healing of closeness.
The Power Of Touch & The Black Brute Narrative In The Workplace
Aaron Johnson, professional speaker and founder of the CUT Project, joins Melinda in an honest conversation on the power of touch and the Black brute narrative in the workplace. They explore holistic resistance as a response to the profound impact of the Black brute narrative on African heritage men. They discuss ways this narrative shows up in the workplace, including through a lack of safe space where Black men can be vulnerable, set boundaries, and protect themselves when those boundaries are violated.
Our COMMUNITY
