As we all know, 2020 has been quite a year. From COVID-19 halting everyone’s plans to the social unrest causing transformative shifts it has definitely been a year to remember. Throughout all of this, some would say chaos, the city of Houston has had a young leader come to the forefront to help lead and organize protests, events for healing including a vigil for Oluwatoyin Salau, and most recently launching the Houston initiative of community fridges placed around town to help combat food insecurity and aide the homeless. The first located in Houston's Third ward at 3801 N MacGregor Way.
At the tail end of her busy summer, we were able to speak with Nina, a community leader currently studying Early Childhood Education with an ESL Certification, about what pushed her to lead, her favorite music releases of the year, and how she hopes to continue pushing for change as lives slowly begin to revert back to normal.
Whiz Magazine: How have you been this summer? What all have you been up to?
Nina: You know, I’ve been pretty busy, but in a good way. This summer, I felt impassioned to take part in the calls for social change through leading protests for George Floyd, hosting a vigil for Oluwatoyin, gathering a team to help put together the community fridges and essential care packages, all while also working at a Montessori school.
Whiz: With all that’s been going on, it’s quite easy to get bogged down and feel hopeless. What are some ways you’ve been keeping yourself going or outlets you’ve used to release all of that tension?
Nina: So, I love music and thankfully music doesn’t stop. A lot of the artists I usually listen to have been releasing new music like Chloe x Halle, Megan Thee Stallion, Amine, Flo Milli! I’m actually obsessed with Flo Milli. Oh, and Rico Nasty is putting out this song called “iPhone” soon and I’ve been waiting for that so a long time so I can’t wait to listen. Who else?
Whiz: What about the Lil Uzi project that dropped at the beginning of March – did you listen to that?
Nina: Omg, I love Uzi too! It feels like that came out years ago because these past few months have felt so long. I’ve also had some socially distanced park hang outs with friends, but not as much since it’s been so ridiculously hot outside. In the past I loved making art to relax as well, but unfortunately, I haven’t been doing that as much as I’d like to because I’ve been so busy.
Photo by Nick Casteo
Whiz: So, as you mentioned, you’ve hosted and lead a few events around Houston in response to the social injustices around the country. One of events was called a “Black Joy March and Rally” where you all marched to City Hall in protest, but also went to a local park after for meditation, yoga, why did you think it was important to have that healing aspect?
Nina: Yeah, you know like many others, I saw the consistent protests in large numbers with police out there as well and it was violent and aggressive even when we were peacefully protesting. For some this could be traumatic as there were so many heavy things going on. Even just being black and going on social media you’d see more and more black people die, it was overwhelming, so I didn’t blame the people who needed to step back. Around this time, I also saw black people especially feeling hopeless and tired which is why I wanted to put on that event so that we could re-evaluate how we were feeling and heal while planning out the best ways for moving forward. You know, it’s a marathon, not a sprint and there are power in numbers. I wanted us to take time to think strategically, but also take a breather. I had my sister, who specializes in yoga, meditation and reiki, lead a few sessions for those who wanted to participate. There was also a megaphone that I brought to allow black women to speak about anything they wanted. If they felt angry or sad, they could express it in that space. My friend, Ava, she has this original spoken word poem that she wrote about the climate at the time and she shared that. Something pretty cool that happened during the march was that there was another group protesting ICE at the same time. There was a beautiful moment when we all joined together and realized we were fighting against the same system.
Whiz: After this protest against police brutality and its contribution to the death of George Floyd, you planned out a vigil for Oluwatoyin Salau, a 19-year old activist who was murdered after being sexually abused. As black woman myself, her death and all that happened to her hit my heart in an even more personal way. From that perspective, is that what lead you to want to host the vigil in her honor?
Nina: Mhm. What made me think I think “I have to do this” was that two days prior to her death being confirmed I was reposting on my Instagram story that she was missing in hopes that she would be found alive and well. Two days later, at the hands of a black man that she trusted, that she was out there fighting for she was murdered. People didn’t seem to care as much because it wasn’t a police brutality issue, but we’re at a point where that’s not the only problem in our society. Yes, racism and police brutality are the key issues are the forefront right now, but we have to think about colorism, fatphobia, being a dark skin black woman who is bigger like Breonna Taylor and how people are treating that situation. We have to think of the black, trans women who are being killed at high rates too.
Seeing all of that happen hurt my entire spirit. Being a black woman in general, there is just no protection. I waited a week to see if anyone else was going to put on a vigil for her. I was like, “Is anyone going to stand up for a dark-skinned black woman?”. After seeing that nobody was planning on doing anything for Toyin I decided that I had to. I had never even planned a vigil before, but I realized that I had more initiative and resources than others. That was the hardest event I’ve organized so far, but it was also a very beautiful moment.
Whiz: Most recently, you and a team have launched the Houston Community Fridge Initiative. Why did you think it was something that needed to be done in and for the city?
Nina: Houston has a huge food insecurity crisis, and it doesn’t make sense. We have so many people living in Houston and our elected officials have so much money I just don’t understand why they don’t look at easy ways to make life better for the citizens. Since the government is failing us, I became more interested in mutual aid and how to come together and use the skills and our collective experiences to benefit each other.
Whiz: How did the project all come together?
Nina: As I started to gain a bit of trust within the community, I let a few people know that I was interested in starting up community fridges around town with free food for those in need to take what they need. A team came together and everyone filled different roles. A little but later, I set up the Go Fund Me to raise money to purchase the initial fridge. It’s so insane, my goal was to raise $1,050, but now we’re at $4,500. This Go Fund Me helped with exposure and people started asking how to help. I organized, another had a truck to transport the fridges, another could make flyers, artists came to paint the fridges, and others donated money so that eh fridges could be stocked.
Whiz: How did you choose and secure the locations for the fridges?
Nina: The third ward in Houston has many people who are in need and it’s close to the University of Houston where many students struggle financially. We started calling businesses in the area and giving them all details about the project so that there was no miscommunication. We let them know there would be regular volunteers stationed at the fridges, that they wouldn’t have to clean the fridges, and then we would also need a power outlet. We tried emailing as well, but found that the communication would lag and that the best route was face-to-face or at least over-the-phone. The first fridge is located at a local resale shop called Exchange to Change. Thankfully, someone on our team is actually a frequent customer at the shop so they had a good relationship prior and so far, it’s running smoothly. We are also planning on rolling out two more fridges, one in partnership with an organization in Alief, and the third we are currently scouting out places o house it.
Whiz: You also mentioned that you were working on essential care packages for the homeless population. What all does that entail?
Nina: So, it’s ridiculously hot right now and we’re in a pandemic so resources for some could be scarce. I put out a list of items that could be donated centered around personal hygiene products, food, and water. People were incredibly willing to donate which was amazing. Then, at the end of July, in collaborating with the Houston People’s Liberation Front, we passed out the packages including all of the items in a reusable bag, information on housing, and a sack lunch from the Front to the homeless people in the area around Minute Maid baseball park. This was also a way for us to get the word out about the fridges as many homeless people don’t have social media to be able to know that this aide existed and where to find it. Every person was so grateful and kind. They loved making conversation and talking about life.
Whiz: Yeah, they’re just human.
Nina: Exactly, they’re human. They deserve basic necessities literally just the basic bare minimum that many of us do receive.
Whiz: What advice would you give to people looking to start something similar in their cities?
Nina: I’ve received so may DM’s about this from people all over. First, I would say to see if there is already a community fridge initiative I their area and to then see if they can join the team or how to help. I also learned a lot from other groups who have put together fridges in their community specifically the one in New York. They shared a ton of resources with me that helped shape their volunteer and donation guidelines.
If there isn’t a team together yet, then that would be the first step. This is something that will help immensely as everyone has different strengths and connections to achieve the same goal. We’re also still learning ourselves about the best way to have the fridges in the community and make it sustainable
Whiz: Before this summer, you really didn’t have much experience in community organizer realm, but now you’ve helped change the city in so many ways in such a short amount of time. What would you say to others reading this who may be wanting to start something in their area, but are not sure how?
Nina: I truly had no prior experience and this summer has been challenging, but rewarding. What really got me to this point was just jumping right in and learning as I went. That’s one thing I encourage for others - taking initiative. It’s okay to not be experienced. Initiative is the biggest factor to getting anything done. If we all just sat around waiting for someone else to start, then we’d be sitting for some time. You just have to take a leap of faith, trust in yourself, and your community. Without the support of friends, peers, and community members, I wouldn’t be able to do it. For many people, as soon as they see something going that they support they’re wondering how they can help. People are looking for people to start things, and I encourage people to be that person. Don’t be afraid to do it.
Photo by Nick Casteo
Whiz: So, you’re currently studying Early Childhood Education in hopes of becoming a teacher. Has this past summer and the experience you’ve gained changed any of your life goals?
Nina: Recently, people have been telling me that I’d be a great principal. Previously, I was like I wouldn’t want to be a principal at all and now that I’ve learned what it’s like to be a leader, I’m like, “Maybe I could”.
Whiz: As the year is starting to pick back up again with many of the people involved this summer returning to school and work, how do you hope people will continue to stay active in the community?
Nina: I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I do anticipate a lot of people removing themselves because for one, it’s been long year, we’re all tired, and a lot of us a very broke. At the same time, I’m really hoping that more organizers will join in and people will be more willing to fit volunteering and advocating for change into their new schedules. I hope we don’t lose sight of the work we’ve done and can do. That’s where I get my energy and willpower. It’s knowing that myself and my community have the power to change people’s lives.
Whiz: Any final message?
Nina: We have more fridges coming! If you have a fridge to donate, they will need locations, so please let us know places willing to host as well!
Thank you to Nina for taking the time to speak with us. You can check out the work that she and the team are doing on there Instagram here as well as find out ways to volunteer donate or get started in your area!
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