Her Story
About Nicole
I started my career with a master's in journalism, working for a couple of TV stations where I was often one of only two Black folks there. I felt some of the coverage wasn't very equitable regarding other cultures and communities. That field didn't work out due to changes in my family structure, but I've always loved volunteering and working with kids. My first supervisory role was being a sun site manager for an after-school program at a school in Southwest Portland, where I supervised for three years. Since I was the only Black person on campus, I took it upon myself to start the Black Girl Magic Group and the BIPOC Voice Club. At my second school, I created Black Excellence because I was again the only Black adult on campus. Living in Northwest Portland and working in Southwest and Southeast, I realized there were other schools in the district that would benefit from these spaces - maybe they only have 5 Black kids, but those 5 Black kids need a safe place to discuss issues that affect them. My nonprofit is about a year and a half old now, though we were fiscally sponsored for a few years before that. I run a workshop called Get Ready, Stay Ready, a half-day workshop where Black men from the community come in and teach Black boys life skills like making a coffee order at a cafe, fish dissection, sewing on a button, ironing, making mac and cheese, using different tools, and reading an analog watch. Right now it's kind of a one-woman show - I'm either working on finding new grants, going to different resource fairs to get the word out about the bag, so there isn't really a typical day.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nicole
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would never tell someone to not start a nonprofit, but I would definitely do my homework to find out who else is doing the work, and if it's saturated or not. Get to know those people and those different nonprofits, and definitely follow those nonprofits on social media. Find out who's doing the work, and not get into it for self-esteem, serotonin, dopamine type of feeling - it's hard work. You will question yourself a lot, and so you just gotta keep believing that what you're doing is helping in your own little way. I wish I knew how much red tape there is. My hope is to write a book about how to start a BSU because I couldn't find any books about it. I'm sure that there's kids in small towns where their numbers are low, where a teacher would be like, oh, let me look at this guidebook so I can figure out things to do.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I have to be really picky about who a third party is, because they have to be in line with my values. I would never work with organizations like Chick-fil-A because they're anti-trans, and even though we're not a trans organization, I believe in trans rights. I try to do a lot of research on third parties just to find out where their money's going, what their values are. Research is probably a big thing. My goal is to be able to get enough grants to where I can offer Black affinity group spaces in schools for free, because those are the first type of extras that are always taken away first when there's budget cuts.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Oregon
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.