Juneteenth: Veteran Pauline Harris-Lloyd Uses Education, Advocacy to Help Others
BY CHARLES CURTIS III | For AC JosepH Media
SOUTHAMPTON – Don’t call Dr. Pauline Harris-Lloyd an activist.
As the founder of the educational nonprofit, The Islay Walden Education Alliance or IWEA, the U.S. Army veteran said “advocate” better fits what she and others in her organization strives to do.
IWEA has been serving New Jersey since 2022 and has been incorporated as a nonprofit since 2023 with a mission of “helping leaders, communities, and organizations understand themselves and others through education, research, and advocacy.” Their mission statement is supported by four universal pillars: history, heritage, faith, and scholarship.
“We are not activists,” Lloyd, a former command sergeant major, told Front Runner New Jersey.com recently. “We are sustainable advocates. The work that we do has a sustainability component.”
In honor of Juneteenth, IWEA will be hosting a webinar on the meaning of the holiday.
“I’m from Texas and so this holiday means a lot to me,” Lloyd said, reflecting on her roots.
Her great-grandfather Adam Harris was a Civil War veteran and her uncle Melvin Ray Harris was a Purple Heart recipient. Lloyd’s heritage shows a generational commitment to the nation and service to others.
Lloyd is a member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and will take part in the AACCNJ’s Juneteenth Business Expo on Thursday, June 12 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township.
“They are accessible in ways they don’t have to,” Lloyd said of the African American Chamber of Commerce. “President John Harmon has yet to say ‘no.’ And that’s what makes me successful.”
She attributes much of the success and networking opportunities of IWEA to the AACCNJ which has facilitated the networking of many of IWEA’s successful partnerships through their quarterly networking events. The AACCNJ also serves as the IWEA’s strategic success partner.
“Membership has its benefits, you have access to so many people who have alignment in goals,” Lloyd said. “I started by attending their free quarterly meetings and after a year of attending the free events I decided to invest in myself.
“If you want to go fast go by yourself, if you want to go far go with a team. With nine impact areas, I knew there’s no way I could do this by myself. There’s enough work to go around for everyone.”
Lloyd was the first black female to hold her position. Her new mission is honing in on crucial issues impacting underserved African American communities in New Jersey. Lloyd is providing solutions that lead to learning, long term change and equity.
“DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] is integral to everything I’ve done,” she said. “My past careers have focused on diversity equity primarily for women of color.”
Lloyd’s professional experience spans both the military and the classroom. She boasts experience as a special education teacher, principal/supervisor of education programs with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, and compliance investigator for Rutgers University.
Lloyd said she was inspired by the works and advocacy of Alfred Islay Walden whose experience as a teacher, theologian, and student at New Brunswick Theological Seminary parallels her own. Walden was a teacher, poet, pastor, and advocate who arose from the suffrage of African Americans during the late 1800s.
Walden was a former slave, freed after the American Civil War, and noted to have poor eyesight Walden did not let his past or disability hinder his advocacy for his community. In a letter to the Reformed Church of America Walden highlighted many issues plaguing the African American community.
A letter that Lloyd would herself come across while attending the New Brunswick Theological Seminary solidified her views.
“The issues Islay documented continue to persist today such as alcohol addiction, illiteracy, and poverty,” Lloyd said. “The rates for African Americans in education, academic outcomes, hunger, and access to healthcare fall below every metric.”
“I’m disgusted and disturbed that we’re having 1865 problems in 2025,” Lloyd said. “I was tasked with changing the function of the total Army. So certainly, I can tackle this problem here in New Jersey. We can’t continue to go down this road and not do something about it.”
“DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] is integral to everything I’ve done. My past careers have focused on diversity equity primarily for women of color.”
— Pauline Harris-Lloyd
The 2025 Ethics and Equity Conference was the IWEA’s debut. Organized by the nonprofit, this conference brought together leaders and change agents in New Jersey for discussion and an actionable agenda on critical humanitarian topics that serve as roadblocks that may inhibit African Americans from accessing an adequate quality of life.
The goal of the conference was to provide a uniform and dedicated response to New Jersey’s Disparity Report addressing housing, nutrition, education, and more.
The IWEA has nine impact areas: ethics, education, economics, healthcare, fitness, nutrition, veteran services, interfaith dialogue, and environmental impact.
Some of IWEA’s present asset partners include Cornell University as a continuing growth partner, Bank of America as a financial partner, and the faith partner United Church of Christ.
GoStrong Fitness, LLC and the Flourish Wellness Retreat are emerging IWEA partners founded by Bernai Brown-Helman. Helman is a certified personal trainer, breathwork specialist, and pre/postnatal coach specializing in responsive health and wellness.
“Pauline is very passionate about what she does,” Hemman said. “I’m looking forward to working with her in enriching and cultivating generational health.”
Helman said she is excited about the opportunity for collaboration.
Julia Gandy, of Embodying Wellness, said she attended the Ethics and Equity event in January. Gandy is a wellness consultant and HeartMath Coach & Trainer of the Resilience Advantage.
“Together we’re working on a program of course development for trauma and stress,” Gandy said.
The IWEA is taking an active role in achieving its agenda. On Thursday (June 12), the organization will be participating in the Third Annual Business Expo hosted by the AACCNJ. Lloyd will serve as one of five panelists in a DEI vs. Meritocracy conversation.
As she looks forward to the IWEA, Lloyd said she is brimming with passion and the ambition to solve very complex issues with restorative and sustainable solutions.
“My 2026 goal is to stand before the United Nations,” Lloyd said. “The only way you can stand before the UN is when you are doing humanitarian work. And what we do at the IWEA is not community service, this is humanitarian work.”
Lloyd said she is dedicated to the promise of building on the legacy of Islay Walden and committed to the betterment of the African American people.
Follow Us Today On:
Note from AC JosepH Media: If you like this story and others posted on Front Runner New Jersey.com, lend us a hand so we can keep producing articles like these for New Jersey and the world to see. Click on SUPPORT FRNJ and make a contribution that will go directly in making more stories like this available. Thank you for reading.
About Author
