Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Explore how the social construct of race and racial oppression operates at multiple levels with a rotating focus on different social systems. Connect with Austin-area justice movement organizers and everyday people with relevant lived experience to lay out historical context, current affairs, and creative possibilities for a liberated future.
Hello. Hello. Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Racism on the Levels. I am your host, Stacey Fraser.
Speaker 1:My pronouns are she and they, and you are tuned in to show within the Austin Cooperative Radio Hour Collective, Racism on the Levels explores how the how the human design construct of race operates on so many levels, internally, interpersonally, culturally, institutionally, systemically, with a steadfast focus on creative possibilities for liberation now and beyond. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the coop board of directors, staff, volunteers, or underwriters. I am a justice movement weaver, a kingyan non violence conflict reconciliation trainer, a racial justice facilitator, and a mom to a radiant 6 year old, who is my pride and joy in keeping me really busy. And so, I want to, as I always do, pay homage and respect and gratitude to indigenous people who faced attempted erasure due to violent settler colonialism, and that includes the Kuiltecan, the Kumanjay, the Tangoa, the San Juanos, the Lipan Apache. And I wanna move beyond acknowledgment into action, although this is not a call to action.
Speaker 1:But I will say, that I am involved in, a couple of indigenous led organizations around town. And if you're interested in knowing how you can get involved and support indigenous led organizations, let me know. So I am sitting here with Nika Arnold, the founder of the Healing Project, and I feel like I've known Nika a long time, which is kinda eerie, because we just met in the flesh about 10 minutes ago. Yes. So welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Hi. Hi. Hi. It's an honor to be here. Thank y'all for having me.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Thank you for being here. You have so much to share and so much, you're holding a lot of space, and you're moving a lot around town for the better for justice and in love and justice and healing. So, I guess we'll just start with what is your connection to this place, to Austin? How long has your family been here?
Speaker 1:Share some about your, connection to Austin and your roots.
Speaker 2:Oh, actually, I am a 6th generation Austin native. I was born and raised in East Austin. But, yes, my family been here for many, many generations. I have a a deep connection to East Austin and Austin in general. I love Austin.
Speaker 1:6th generations. So that would put you probably somewhere in the early 1800?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It starts with my 4th great grandfather, Reverend John Henry Winn senior. They, or started a colony, called Saint John's Colony, and a lot of them put together the last of what they had off after, you know, being after freedom, you know, tech you know, you know what they mean by that, techno, freedom. But, other than that, there are a lot of families, about 14 families came together, had whatever they had in their pockets. They put it together, perch purchased over 2,000 acres, established a colony.
Speaker 2:It had a lot of black churches, black schools, black clinics, black black owned land, black empowerment, economic empowerment, equity. A lot of those families migrated to Austin. A lot of them chose to leave. A lot of them, unfortunately, were forced out due to acts of violence and Jim Crow and, you know, many other reasons. And one of the communities that that's in Austin called Saint John's Community is named after reverend John Henry Winn senior.
Speaker 2:So that's a little bit of the connection I have to Austin.
Speaker 1:That was a mic drop moment. You're like, Saint John's calling? That that was my grandpa. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 1:Wow. That that's amazing. I actually so I did not know that about you and wow. You how how rooted in place you are. That's a luxury.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. So what has been, passed along to you through the generations in terms of, knowledge of this place? Like, what are some of the traditions that have withstood the generations?
Speaker 2:Honestly, I was the one that started started it for my family. It took for me to be pregnant and sick for, like, 3 months because of morning sickness. And for someone that does a lot of work in the community, I was like, I just can't sit here and be sick. I have to do something. So I dug into a lot of genealogy and ancestry, and it's that's what led me to finding out my ancestors.
Speaker 2:And I just started telling my siblings and a lot of people in Austin that I knew, and I was just like, oh my gosh. We're cousin. You're cousin. We're my you're my cousin. You're my cousin.
Speaker 2:We we are cousins. We kinfolks. Y'all, this is amazing. So I just really wanted to highlight the work that our ancestors did, and maybe that will amplify or help us preserve their work, with a lot of, our our history being washed away and us being displaced and gentrified. It's hard to preserve the history in Austin.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I was just saying and and washed away seems like a a a mild way of putting it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I didn't
Speaker 2:wanna cuss. Oh, yeah? I did.
Speaker 1:I told you, it is hard to talk about structural racism and and violence. Right? Structural violence, policy violence Yeah. Without cussing. So, thank you for bravely trying to do this with me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for
Speaker 2:holding space.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, you had just told me a story also. It was, like, keeping it to land and location. You said you visited one of the plantations. Where was that again?
Speaker 1:And and then tell a story of what happened.
Speaker 2:Yes. Actually, so it was a little bit after me getting over my morning sickness. It was April 2022. It was April to May. My family and I decided to, with all this research, I, gathered while having morning sickness.
Speaker 2:I was sending it to group chat, and I was like, hey, siblings. My dad has, like, 9 kids that we know of in Austin. So I was like, hey, siblings. Let's get together and go to this plantation. It was like, okay, little sis.
Speaker 2:Since you're like the boss, let's go. So we went out there. We were cars deep. We arrived. I believe it was Bastrop, Texas.
Speaker 2:It's called Hills Prairie, noun. I don't know the plantation name prior to then, but, we arrived there, because we all read this book called From a Prince to a Slave. And one of my family members that are no longer here, the author, wrote the book, and it just talks about how they were able to sit with their ancestors, slave owner, descendants, and have meal love like, happy birthday, Martin Luther King. I don't know his quotes exactly, but, basically, dream of days like this sitting at the table from our ancestors, the sent slave owner descendants in having lunch. So they really talked about that in that book.
Speaker 2:So we were just, like, super ecstatic to go to this place. So my brother and my family members, a couple of my siblings, and I hopped the gate because we heard that they do tours there, and we couldn't reach anyone. But we knew that they did tours. It was on the website and everything. So we go there.
Speaker 2:We hopped the gate, and it's it's a huge it's a huge place. It's like 2,000 acres, and it was a far walk. So we were just like, oh, but this is great. We felt the energy. It was a very strong overwhelming energy.
Speaker 2:I was pregnant at the time, so I've just it was just very overwhelming. It was a graveyard over there. It was, a small house that looked it as if, some slaves lived in there, or it probably couldn't have been, but it was a small house. It was a it was a big plantation. It had double doors maybe to protect from the weatheration to protect the doors, big trees, a lot of land.
Speaker 2:Then next thing you know, we hear dogs, and I am terrified of dogs. So I'm like, oh, yeah. We gotta go. And we get to our cars, and the police pull up. And we're like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:What the heck? The police like, yeah. This lady called and said that y'all were trespassing, and we were like, oh, we apologize. We're just the we just wanted to come see the plantation, basically. And he was just like, yeah.
Speaker 2:She wasn't too happy. She said next time she said we we were really adamant about getting a tour because she said they wasn't doing tours at the time. Unfortunately, she did lose her husband. So we did understand, and he was the main reason why the tours were happening, why they were involved in the community, and she lost them, I believe, during COVID or right after COVID. And, she advised the police officer to have us leave our number on the gate, and she'll reach out to us for a tour.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately, that haven't happened yet, but, we did get the experience of walking on the same land our ancestors did.
Speaker 1:While you were pregnant too, and that Yeah. Yeah. All the things are heavy and heavier. And I don't know about you, but the perspective setting of life is really having, you know, my son just change things for me and and deepened my practice. And, you know, that that happened few years before I started this, you know, show.
Speaker 1:He was born in 2018, and I really started devoting my my walk. My purpose is to, you know, bring other folks into the anti racism movement. And, and, yeah. So thank you for sharing that story. And I just saw the poetry in the fact that you just went to reconnect to where your ancestors were, and the police were called because, you know, I that comes law enforcement Yeah.
Speaker 1:Comes up often in the show and in these conversations and the inherent racism related to having a gun and a badge and what that does. And and also the illusion that police can keep you safe. Mhmm. The disillusion, and that has never been the reality for people of color.
Speaker 2:Absolutely not. That day, we just got lucky. We got a good, he wasn't having a bad day. We got a good cop. You know?
Speaker 2:He was real real graceful with us at first, but, you know, when they first drive up, the first thing is like, oh gosh. This just you never know until they say something to you.
Speaker 1:So, you're involved in a lot of amazing work. When you first, I just shared with you before we came on air, that I think the first time I heard your name and saw you was, related to the University of Texas DEI band. Yeah. What was what were you doing at the time? And then how did you how did you get the mic there in that moment?
Speaker 1:Because I feel like that that was the moment that you first came onto my radar. What was going on?
Speaker 2:Wow. So, I had the privilege to be accepted into this WILDLED program. It was created by Ruben Cantu. I love Ruben Cantu. He's an amazing man.
Speaker 2:Much love to him. I participated in this WIL program. It's a woman on in leadership entrepreneur program. I loved it. It's, it's just women of color being around women and very diverse, going to different retreats, you know, focusing on yourself, your inner self, and also learning more about business and pitching and, you know, amazing things.
Speaker 2:Honestly, being accepted to UT was just a confirmation that I was actually doing a lot of good things in Austin, and I wanted to actually grow and, you know, further my education. So just coming from a marginalized community that on the other side of this, highway that was intentionally used to segregate Jews in your community, so you won't be able to access those resources. Just being able to access them even at 30, even if it's just a program, it was a luxury for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I've had folks on the show, you know, then then the university continues to acquire East Austin land. So then the university jumped the highway, that was built on structural racism for those reasons, and then acquires the land. And so I'm imagining sounds like your literal bio kinfolk. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Many have been impacted by those haphazard decisions that were intentional.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then, in addition to those intentional things, unfortunately, the program was under DEI. So the program did dissolve, and I really didn't get the full benefit of the program that I knew that it offered a lot of resources, education, networking, connecting, you know, just to for even just me as a student, how it impacted me, it really traumatized me and almost slipped into a very depression depressing place, especially as a mother. And I was attending ACC also at the same time and also you know, these credits or whatever it is that you can use you know, these credits or whatever it is that you can use to prove that you participated. It's no it no longer exists.
Speaker 2:But the only thing that made me happy was that we did win at our pitch day when we pitched Navi, a resource navigation mobile app. So it wasn't always a lose lose. It was a lose win. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Painful, nonetheless, to go through and live that experience.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:If you are just tuning in, you are listening to Racism on the Levels. I'm your host, Stacey Fraser, and I am sitting here with Nika Arnold of the Healing Project. We are, we've talked about some of your very deep and very wide roots here in this place. 6th generations, lots of siblings, Lots of history, lots of traditions, just a deep well. And I just sense that about you, a a sense of of rootedness.
Speaker 1:So that just, like, radiates from you.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So your so your baby was born in what year?
Speaker 2:I have 2 kids.
Speaker 1:So I
Speaker 2:have a 2 year old daughter. Her name is Magic. She was born in 2022. I have a 9 year old son. He was born in 2015.
Speaker 2:His name is Omari. Oh,
Speaker 1:and so, so it was magic that you were carrying when you told the story of visiting the plantation of your ancestors.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And then when did you get accepted into the wild wild program? Willed. Willed.
Speaker 2:I got accepted in January of 2024, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So last year. Yeah. Alright. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Last year. And the DEI ban went into effect at la last year. So you had just entered the program. Yep. Did you know it was coming down the pipe, like, that that bill was legislation was about to happen?
Speaker 2:Absolutely not. Wasn't aware of it. Didn't I didn't know anything about it. I didn't even know anything about DEI, to be serious. I didn't even know my program was under DEI.
Speaker 2:I'm like, DEI? What? What? Our program is under look it up. Oh my god.
Speaker 2:No. What? So it made me really realize, okay, I need to do my research on DEI and what's going on. Because, obviously, I'm not the only one impacted. People are losing their jobs.
Speaker 2:It's it's real it's it's real out here.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And do you remember where you were when it happened? Because I've I've heard stories from people who were there on UT campus when it happened, and it was a traumatic event is how how the announcement went down. So do you remember where you were, or did you get an email? Or how did it how was the news delivered to you that your program was impacted?
Speaker 2:Oh my god. I was it was, initially, I was at home, and we were all in this this app called oh my gosh. What is this app called?
Speaker 1:Mighty Networks or one of those?
Speaker 2:It was just a little networking app where we can be able to communicate on it. Slash or Slack signal. Not signal. It was something else.
Speaker 1:I forgot. Anyway, so you were with your
Speaker 2:I was at home, and I was I remember interacting. I was
Speaker 1:on my phone, and I
Speaker 2:got a notification from the group that we communicate on in UT students, everybody from the program. And they were like, hey, y'all. One of the programs that our professor was over was under the DEI, and we were like, well, we're like a replica or or of that program lit literally, like, we're like a junior version of that program. So we were like, I'm pretty it was called project prodigy program and WILDE was was under that program. So we were like, in my head, I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 2:We're pretty much, we're gone. But we just didn't get the confirmation from our professor yet until the following day in class, unfortunate unfortunately, in class. And he, got up there, and he was just like, he didn't really know what to tell us because he didn't have too much information, but he was really trying to just prepare us, for the worst, and letting them letting us know that this does not end here at UT. This is also the beginning. So if we're gonna go out, we're gonna go out with a bang at UT, but we're gonna also continue the work that we're doing.
Speaker 2:So I think I know for sure he's somewhere. Ruben is is continuing to do the work, just not at UT. So he didn't let that become a barrier. It was more of a a stepping stone. Like, okay.
Speaker 2:I'll move around. I'll do I something better is out there for me. And I love that because I still have that option. If I wanna continue to do that program, I can go and do it. I don't think it's in Austin, but I still have that option to do it.
Speaker 1:So then when that happened, then then did did you just stop having classes? Or, like, how did that
Speaker 2:Yeah. Once it was once we did the pitch day, we called it demo day. So, once we found out that classes were probably gonna end, I believe it was in May that it happened. I'm sorry if I don't have the correct timeline. He let us know, like, hey.
Speaker 2:Demo day is coming up. Let's just go out with a bang. You have a pitch. We and demo day is basically your group of people, and you just talk about something that you wanna do that you believe will make a difference in today. And that's why we decided to pitch Navi, the resource navigation mobile app.
Speaker 2:So, after that, that was it. After we pitched that day, that was it. No more classes for me. But, everyone else that was UT students, they, continued to have classes at UT, but I think there was about 3 other students that were, ACC participants or St. Edward's participants, and we didn't continue to I know I didn't.
Speaker 2:I don't think they continued either.
Speaker 1:I remember you I think you were picked up by the statesman or or something. So so how did you did they find you on campus? Or, like, how did the how do how did you organize because I see you as an organizer. Right? So how did that happen?
Speaker 1:Honestly, I'm
Speaker 2:so it was brought to me. I was very emotional. A lot of people didn't never see me as emotional as I was. Like I said, I was really in a dark place. I was like, oh my god.
Speaker 2:I worked so hard to attend UT. I was paying my parking to go there 2 times out the week, at least for an hour. I dropped classes at ACC, which made me owe money just so I can participate at UT. So I was very emotional in a lot of my community members that I was working with, and partnering with, one being Black Mamas Village. This young lady named Nikenia Wilson, she connected me, and she was just like, hey, sis.
Speaker 2:Let's just get this out there. Let's get the word out there. You you're vocal. You wanna talk about it. I have the people that wanna listen.
Speaker 2:And just like that, it was people 2 interviewers that were there to listen to my story, and I loved how they captured my story. Mhmm. So, Nakenya Wilson is the reason for that. So thank you, Nakenya. Love you.
Speaker 1:I'd love for you to come on the show, Nakenya. We haven't met yet. Yes. But I do. Yeah.
Speaker 1:She's the big fan
Speaker 2:of the work. Yeah.
Speaker 1:She's out there. Yeah. So, what doors opened as a result of this BS?
Speaker 2:None. I started a GoFundMe. I reached that amount, I think, for $2,000 to be able to pay for my ACC, school because I had to drop the classes. Unfortunately, I had to move, so some of that money went to moving cost, living cost, still directly impacted, and still owe ACC. So to be honest, as a human being and a person that's in horrible situations, nothing.
Speaker 2:But one door closed, another one opened. So I feel like the cohort that I am in now is, I mean, is a blessing, blessing, blessing. So I went through a lot to just to be here in this moment, to be grounded, and to own all of the pain and the everything I went through, like, there's a brighter side to it all. So I really can't wait to talk about the new cohort that I'm also in.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, should we go there next, or do you wanna
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We can. Yeah. So the cohort, is it still with the same is it same program that came out of UT? Or tell tell me tell tell me what the cohort is and what are y'all doing?
Speaker 2:Okay. So I can give you so much information that, the cohort is through ECHO. ECHO is the ending homeless communities.
Speaker 1:I just know ECHO is echo.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Echo. Look it up, y'all. But, anyway, they they, how can I say this without giving it up too much? But, basically, Echo is it's a cohort on the Echo and this super super dope dude named Bill Wallace.
Speaker 1:He's Bill hasn't been on the show.
Speaker 2:Bill on the show.
Speaker 1:Promise Foundation. He has been on
Speaker 2:the show. Yeah.
Speaker 1:He's my buddy. Hi, Bill.
Speaker 2:Bill is amazing. I love you.
Speaker 1:Bill is amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah. He's, he's the main man over the cohort, and he's picked a lot of dope Austin, nonprofits that assist in on house slash homeless work or low income work. And the cohort is super dope. It gives you a lot of education, knowledge, connections, networking, and all they're asking you is to show up resources. It's the best thing that could have happened, and they're funding us to be a part of this cohort.
Speaker 2:How many people? It's about 10 or 11 organizations Okay. Together.
Speaker 1:And, so echo is the the convening like, the the sponsor organization of the co of the cohort.
Speaker 2:Is that right? I believe so.
Speaker 1:Okay. So your organization, Healing Project, is an organization member of the co op cohort. Who are some of the others?
Speaker 2:I would love to I can't give that information now. Okay. I'm not sure if they would, you know, want people to know their blessings, but I'm more than open to sharing about the healing project. But Yeah. Sure.
Speaker 2:It's it's someone I can say there if you've you've interviewed some people.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah. No doubt. I can't say that. I believe that. So, is the, is it is
Speaker 2:it ongoing? Is it, Yes. It's ongoing. I'm actually gonna be graduating next month. So that's, super exciting news.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be a nonprofit certificate that I will be receiving. So I'm getting all the jewels about how to operate a nonprofit at the moment. So it's so dope. All the capacity building. All the capacity building, literally building capacity.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 1:But you already you've already been building by the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah. But it's supported now. That's right. It's so supported. I'm literally able to build capacity
Speaker 1:and That's the thing is, you know and we're gonna we're gonna pause for a break here in a sec. But, you know, all of this is happening in a tightly woven network of people and community based organizations, and we all know each other.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:And that's beautiful because, you know, I do believe that we are all we have. And I mean that in the in the spirit of abundance is that the systems that fail us, like the UT story that you shared, the DEI band, like those systems were never the want the systems to turn to to to to honor humanity. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I I feel like we can create our own system. I feel I felt that energy during 2021 Yuri storm, when we didn't have a lot of city officials or anyone to really depend on in low income and marginalized communities. You know, the Healing Project, We Can Now, Black Lives Veggies, a lot of Bill, Tomorrow's Promise Foundation. A lot of individuals are out there boots on the ground doing their work. And the Healing Project alone moved 4% of the population in just a band provided by The Other Ones Foundation.
Speaker 1:Okay. So we're gonna go right into that after this break. Okay. And we're gonna take a little quick traffic break. Welcome back.
Speaker 1:You are listening to K00P 91.7 FM in Austin and possibly streaming online. You're joining us from anywhere, because all of our shows are on k00p.org. We'll also be archiving this and sharing it around. I am your host and creator of Racism on the Levels, Stacey Fraser. I am sitting here with Nika Arnold, of the Healing Project.
Speaker 1:And, if you're just joining us, we talked about Nika's roots, and the, DEI band that took into effect at UT Austin, which, personally had a big impact on her life and many, many others. And then, we were talking about capacity building for the healing project, which I wanna turn to next. So tell me everything. Like, tell me, like, the seedling of the idea, how it came about,
Speaker 2:how it's grown. So the healing project is basically something that I wanted to create for people that didn't have what I didn't have growing up either. Basically, it's a resource navigation organization, just navigating the community members to sustainable resources. And that just starts with our everyday needs, like rental assistance, utility assistance, food. We have a partnership, with Costco's.
Speaker 2:They're super dope, and they're one of the main reasons we're able to provide 1,000 of pounds of food a week to shelters, individuals, low income and unhoused, community members, the free fridges. We have a lot of community members that start their own pantries right outside of their doors or at their apartment complexes or in their communities, their schools. We do a lot with just our food security program that we operate weekly. In addition to that, we also, distribute brand new mattresses to families, that are low income, transition out of, homelessness, or even impacted by disasters like fires. We had a couple of families in Austin as well impacted by fires.
Speaker 2:So we get different mattresses, like twin, full size, king-size, queen-size mattresses, and we just try to grab them and distribute them to families as soon as possible. In addition to that, we get other household items, from Costco's, like laundry soap, shampoo. We get pan brand new items, and we receive donated items. So that's how we create those programs for everyday things that people need, resources. And that's why we call them sustainable because we no longer, have them available for them to retrieve.
Speaker 2:We go take it to their door. We take it to their home no matter where it's at, in the street, the parking lot, low income, a shelter. We're very, engaged in our community because our motto here is our motto at the healing project is we are who we serve. You know, you we've touched on how I was directly impacted, and I still have to show up because I feel like it's bigger than me, and I'm doing god's work. So when I meet people that allows allow me to take up space like this space, I just feel like we're being supported in doing god's work work.
Speaker 2:Excuse me. Well, I I long for and hope that in some small way with everything I can to be able to
Speaker 1:flip the script on that, like, about, like, allowing you to take up space. Right? Because that's messed up. Like, that's an imbalance of power. Like, power needs to be redistributed.
Speaker 1:Right? Because, you know, your full humanity is full humanity, and mine is too. And, you know, and so it's it's hard to navigate. As you say, you have a navigation app, like, navigate where power is and how to wield it, move it around, but it does need to be redistributed because it is really, concentrated in the hands of very few people, and that affects all of us.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We should they should redistribute power, resources, all that good stuff. Well, I
Speaker 1:have to say too, like, we, as it you know, my Kenyan nonviolence practice, like, we we have to place demands on the system Mhmm. Because the system is not gonna change unless people require it to.
Speaker 2:Yep. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:There's the organizer in me. I can't help myself.
Speaker 2:Hear me right there. I'm huge, you know, I'm huge on that.
Speaker 1:So, how did you actually, like, formalize what you're doing to the point of then giving it a name, for example, the healing project? Like, what were you just doing this? And, you know, sharing resources with folks, like, how did it come about? That's how
Speaker 2:I started. Naturally, when you're growing up in the hood, in a marginalized, environment, AKA HUD funded complexes, AKA the projects, AKA project baby, you meet a lot of other individuals. And sometimes those complexes or communities have that one spot where there's a big mama that helps you get rental assistance, utility assistance that got food, that know where you need to go or need to be. You need you have a ride, or this is when a church bus has come. So I've seen it growing up.
Speaker 2:When I grew up in Mesa, Maine, one of the worst projects to grow up in in Austin, Texas, so I've seen that. And I also was able to escape that environment by going to church when the church people said, you know what? We're gonna get a a bus and just go pick up these bad kids and just bring them on with us, make sure they're fed and know how to pray and drop them on back off. And they did that almost every day even outside of Sunday. So, instead of it being church based, I was already doing it in school, in my communities, online.
Speaker 2:I was already, hey, I use these resources, so I know you can use these resources. And let me show you and navigate you through this process. You may have to call 60 times for the city of Austin neighborhood service center to pick up and put you on their list for next week. You may have to go call this person on Thursday between 12:01 and get your utility bill paid. So I knew how to use that system.
Speaker 2:So I was able to teach others how to access those resources, even if it's rental assistance getting paid for a year, 1 month, 3 months. It helps where you can allocate those funds, redistribute those funds somewhere else.
Speaker 1:Were you always that kid? Like, do how much of this is, like, someone inspired you versus this is so you do you know, fish are gonna swim. Like, not because not everybody does what you're doing, Mika. Like, you you are absolutely sharing shining your light on the world, you know, by sharing. So were you always that person or that kid?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Did you have anyone role model this for you? No. No. Besides my mom having a good heart, I didn't have too many role models in my life teaching me how to navigate this system, though. I've only learned because I use these resources.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And when you say system, it's systems
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they're interlocking. So, where'd you go
Speaker 2:to school? I started at Lanier High School, but I graduated from Jerry car Job Corps in San Marcus. I, obtained my GED, my medical assistant's phlebotomist, and EKG certification in 2011 there.
Speaker 1:And so you were, are you still in the health professionals?
Speaker 2:No. I actually got out of health care field in 2017. A little after I had my son, I got into transportation. I just got my CDL. So I was driving some buses and trucks for a while.
Speaker 2:So I it's great. Town here? Yeah. In Austin. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And also Pflugerville as well. So, I drove for, what it where the I forgot the name of the the bus company, but they were to taken over by Pflugerville Independent School District. And then I left there, and I started driving for Labatt. And then, naturally, the activist stuff started because I was just a bad student that always was blunt, spoke my mind. Everybody used to say, you should be a lawyer.
Speaker 2:And I'm like, yeah. Right. Whatever. I'm gonna be a nurse. That's why I was in the health care field.
Speaker 2:And then just seeing a lot of people get killed in Austin by the police. I've I've seen a lot of people, friends, family get shot, get killed. I've seen somebody get shot in the the cheek, in their hand, in their shoulder that had intellectual disabilities, right after I graduated job corps because they had a BB gun, and I had to be the first one to respond. I was on Berkman Drive. The the fire department was, like, 2 houses down from the apartment complex, so I had to, go get them.
Speaker 2:It was like, hey. This dude was shot, and they saved his life. Thank god. But the officer was just still in shock that he was just standing over there with a gun over him and the girls the dude's girlfriend was there screaming. So I was just like, you know what?
Speaker 2:That was just too much for me. I have to do something, but I didn't do something right then and there. I really didn't start speaking up until 2020, George Floyd. But I started speaking up for Austin, not to take anything from George Floyd. It was just like, I've seen a lot of killings in Austin.
Speaker 2:I can name a lot of people that have been killed by APD or shot by APD. And, that's what ultimately made me speak up. Just start speaking about the city of Austin and police brutality.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you speaking up because it takes it takes George Floyd to, and and and people to be able to, oh, that's over there. But it's not. It's here.
Speaker 2:It's here.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And it and and if you are not directly impacted, you know someone who is. Yeah. You know, the the message that I wanna impart, and I appreciate you giving voice to that. So so George Floyd's murder, activated in you saying, like, enough.
Speaker 1:And so what?
Speaker 2:Well, it wasn't really George Floyd. It was more of Mike Ramos. Okay. Oh, yeah. Uh-huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It was more Mike Ramos Uh-huh. That really ignited it, but everyone was down there for George Floyd in Austin, Texas. But I was mainly there to highlight the the the deaths that occurred in Austin, along with George Floyd. Yes.
Speaker 2:Don't get me wrong, but I just didn't wanna take away what we've experienced in Austin every single year.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And so how did you find other organizers? How did you plug in?
Speaker 2:It was so crazy. I was down there in at downtown Austin, and I was just talking. I was like, I'm just gonna go there. Somebody watch my baby. I had one baby at the time, I'm worried, and I made a sign and I went down there and this is why I do was like, hey.
Speaker 2:You need this megaphone. Get this megaphone. They need to hear what you're saying. So ever since he handed me that megaphone, I still got that megaphone. I don't know who he is, but I got that megaphone still.
Speaker 2:And after that, just walking around just with that megaphone being loud, it attracted a lot of individuals that I either inspired or they inspired me to keep going. And, it really just started with social media, and people like, hey. Y'all should plug in. Y'all should plug in, but also doing a boots on the ground work just showing up every single day and knowing that it's not just a moment or, you know, there's a whole movement. You just can't show up one day.
Speaker 2:You know, you gotta con continue continuously show up every single day and sacrifice. And I just felt like that's something God gave me, the energy to keep showing up.
Speaker 1:Was that in front of city hall? Or where were
Speaker 2:you then going? Were there, like, the police department? Right in front of police department before they got the the big black gates.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And then, are you, like, are you involved this is the healing project. What who do you collaborate with? What other organizations do y'all combine resources and and just help each other along the way? Let's give some some flowers as Shaka would say to some people.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, the Shaka and key.
Speaker 1:Right. It's against the story. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the healing project can't operate without our partnerships, without our community organizations, you know, like, they're, like, super dope. Love them to death. They were a big impact in us being able to do the work that we did in the UV storm, and COVID as well. A lot of organizations that we work with daily or weekly is we can now,
Speaker 1:Anthony's been on the show too.
Speaker 2:Dove Dove.
Speaker 1:Hi, Anthony. Hi, Anthony. Congratulations on your space.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:That's super sweet. Office space, y'all. We can now check them out.
Speaker 2:Yes. We love y'all. A lot we also work with, Hungry Hill, Chase Wright, Walking by Faith Ministry ministries, excuse me, Pamela Bryant, a Renew Entry. We work with Indeed Ministries as well with pastor Bradley, Change 1, ATX, my sister keeper, ATX. It's a long list.
Speaker 2:P Faith House with, Kimberly Holiday, the Pflugerville Councilwoman. We work with a lot of people. I can continue to go on Black Mamas Village. We work with Love Serve Feed, Carol Kindness, Costco's, HEB. That's how we're able to provide so much food, Urban alchemy.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow. I can just keep going, going, going. We work with a lot of dope people in Austin, a lot of black led individuals, Tomorrow Promise Foundation, ATX Peace, Givens Park. We Texas Empowerment Academy, TXCA, it's a black led, dope school. Love them.
Speaker 2:Black everything. We work with a lot of people. El Buen, Samaritano, they're super dope organization. We also, are working on establishing a partnership with Central Texas Food Bank so we could amplify our food services and distribution real soon.
Speaker 1:What do you need most organizationally?
Speaker 2:We are a volunteer community based organization. So we just need more support when it comes to volunteering and community support when it comes to our donations because a lot of our programs are operated and funded by community donations.
Speaker 1:We were talking earlier about the cohort and capacity building. Is there, what do what do you envision for the healing project? Like, do you want it to stay community based, or do you want it to grow and expand and become formalized? Like, what is what is your your hope for Healing Project?
Speaker 2:To be totally honest, I feel like it's a community organization. So I feel like the community will let us know exactly where we need to be, how far, or how near we need to be. But we just wanna be able to create more leaders, more resources, more organizations so we can be able to access sustainable, equitable wealth, health, and resources for our community, Create villages. So whatever that takes. If that takes for us to get more formal and create more leaders in in villages for our people and resources yeah.
Speaker 2:But, honestly, whatever the organize the community, let us know what they need. We'll just be there to try to provide it. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Are you operating, geographically in wider area of spaces, or is there one specific focus in terms of geography?
Speaker 2:We're wide. We don't just discriminate. Someone wants help. We're like, oh, if we have it, we are going to give it to you. And we have volunteers able to deliver it or if they able to come pick it up.
Speaker 2:Like I said, meet us at one of our, storage units or our places or somewhere. We got food. We have clothes. We have household items. We have whatever you need.
Speaker 1:And how do folks find you?
Speaker 2:They can go to our website, www.the healing projects, with the s, dot org.
Speaker 1:Healing projects dot org. Do you also have, you have all the social medias?
Speaker 2:Yes. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn. You can usually find us at the healing project, atx, or the healing project. You'll just look for the logo.
Speaker 1:Describe the logo since we're on
Speaker 2:the radio. It's a black fist with orange, red, and yellow sparks around it, and it's made out of bricks, a black fist made out of bricks. So symbolism, foundation, unity, you know, project baby. You know, even though we were born and raised in low or income and marginalized community, we can still build a foundation to get out and to thrive. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:What did the orange sparks represent? They just they just the beautiful colors.
Speaker 1:Simple as that. And it doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Joy is where it's at. Yes. Joy sustains us.
Speaker 1:Yes. Yes. Alright. So I I know very little about this. I want to know more about this.
Speaker 1:Part of my motivation for also having the show is to learn stuff. Yeah. So tell me about the city commission, the commissioner's role, how you got involved. All of that.
Speaker 2:Awesome. So, I am currently, running for my second term as the North Austin Community Development Commissioner. You can go vote January. If you're interested in voting or interested in learning more about the community development commissioner, show up January 27th between 10 AM to 7 PM at Gus Garcia Recreation Center to learn more about the North Austin community development and everyone that's gonna be running for that election, which will be yours truly, Nika. I love serving on that commission.
Speaker 2:I love it to be able to serve with other Austinites.
Speaker 1:How did you even know the commission existed?
Speaker 2:Oh my god. They I was out there speaking, and they were just like, oh my god. We need to have you on the commission.
Speaker 1:We need
Speaker 2:to have an approach to somebody. We need your voice because I'm saying the same thing, and we need more people that'd be saying the same thing we'd be saying. And I was like, you know what? I have the capacity to show up every second Tuesday for 4 hours. And sometimes some you hear things you don't wanna hear, and sometimes you say things you don't wanna say.
Speaker 2:You're say you know? So, I like saying no to people that wanna displace Austinites or they wanna cause harm. So I love getting up there and saying, nope. You don't got my vote on that. So that's why I'm just trying to make a little systematic change and difference impact in that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So the city commission, or the Community development development commission
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Is on a 2 year term cycle
Speaker 2:or 2 yeah. I think it's 4 years now. They just updated the bylaws, but I may be wrong. I believe it's 4 years and maybe 2 years now. I mean, recently, I'm I'm not sure, but I just completed a the last portion of someone else's term that was vacant.
Speaker 2:You know, like, that's what also getting the word out. If y'all love doing community work and you wanna make systematic change, go apply for these commissions because there's a lot of vacant seats in these commissions, and your voice will make a difference if you really wanna make a difference in Austin.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And, you know, I'm I'm glad you brought that up because, speaking of the topic of this show, which is racism on the levels, I someone brought to my attention that they were going to vote to, deactivate the, commission on immigrant affairs here in Austin, Texas due to lack of quorum being met. And, so I called my representative from my district, d 3, and I said, hey, you know, this is I've heard this is happening. Like, the the moment in time that we are in right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And the threats to immigration and rumblings real rumblings in the form of legislative bill proposals to have mass deportations. Like, how could you city of Austin not have a commission on immigrant affairs? And I actually don't know where that landed, so I wanna follow-up and find out. But to your point, is that if folks are interested, in your case, someone came to you and suggested, right,
Speaker 2:that
Speaker 1:you join.
Speaker 2:Because I wasn't aware. But this
Speaker 1:is all public information. Yes. Right?
Speaker 2:Yes. So
Speaker 1:in the city of Austin's website, all the commissions are listed.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Every commissioner, every, commission is listed. You're not it's just okay. They'll let you know when you need to to to vote, or maybe that or do census, but they're definitely not gonna let you know when, to fight for your resources or try to make systematic change. No.
Speaker 2:It takes someone to know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody. Yeah. It's unfortunate. It's, just being a born and raised Austin, I, yeah, I was I was naive and I was not aware or of any of these commissions. Why?
Speaker 2:Because priorities. I have so much going on. I I I the last thing on my mind is to show up for somewhere for so many hours and not get paid to be there. As a woman, a black woman, no. I wanna be paid.
Speaker 2:As a mother. Yes. I'm taking away from my kids, so I have to really just stop and just think. And and I was really blessed and be able to be in a place to understand that, hey. It's you have the capacity to give.
Speaker 1:And here an inspiration. You're saying make the time because these decisions are being made without people
Speaker 2:representing Make the time.
Speaker 1:That don't have interest. So, we're almost out of time. You you named your organization Healing Project. Yeah. And what talk to me about healing for Healing.
Speaker 1:Moment. These last few moments.
Speaker 2:Look. I cut her off. I couldn't even let her finish. He'll healing healing is unconditional, and that's what we really believe. You're gonna be healing for the rest of your life.
Speaker 2:You're you'll never fully, truly be healed. And you may feel good in the moment, but, you know, once you accept that you'll be healing forever, you'll help others heal. And when you're healing, you're living, you're thriving, you're no longer surviving or operating out of survival mode, causing harm, retriggering yourself, you'll just be really healing and just getting closer to the source wherever you believe in, whether that's God, Jesus, the universe, whatever. Just heal. Live to heal.
Speaker 1:Isn't that right? Just easier to sit down. Trauma is not linear either. Mm-mm. Not at all.
Speaker 1:So, we are basically out of time.
Speaker 2:Boom. Time's an illusion.
Speaker 1:You know what it is? So the People's Institute For Survival and Beyond, the Undoing Racism workshop. I attended with a bunch of City of Austin folks a few years ago. Couple years ago. And, the facilitator you know, it's like when someone says something to you, and then it just had such an outsized impact on the way you think from that point forward.
Speaker 1:It was a facilitator, and I wish I could remember his name. But he said, yo, we are moving in time, not on time in this workshop. And that was such a healing comment. I love And I'm passing that along so much, and you are right. You know, this this the sense of urgency is out of control, and it can also be, overwhelming and distracting.
Speaker 1:Right? To have feel like, okay. If if you're not gonna if I can't solve all the challenges, I'm just not even gonna try. And you are the doing in your walk of life, the opposite of that. And for that, I say thank you so much for nurturing this community, the city that we love, and we'll continue to love.
Speaker 1:Thank you. And I'm glad we're on our healing journey together now.
Speaker 2:Yes. Let's see.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Well, y'all, we're at time. Thank you for tuning in to racism on the levels. The music you've heard on the show is from the fantastic Shoyinka Rahim from her 2016 album Bebo Love. And remember in all things and always, love is the highest level.
Speaker 1:Stay tuned for democracy now is after this. Peace. Bye, y'all.