We are excited to invite Keva Brooks Napper to the mic. For a total of 18 years, Keva has been thriving through Lupus and desires to see others battling any invisible illness do the same. To this end, she founded Beautiful Butterflies Inc., a nonprofit foundation used to bring awareness and education on Lupus and other illnesses. She often says, “I can't eradicate illness but I can help eradicate the pain of it,” and shapes her endeavors with this in mind. 

Keva’s academic repertoire includes a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in English from North Carolina Central University. Throughout the years, she has received many awards for her service and brilliance as a community leader. Some of those honors include Teacher of the Year, Guilford County’s Reader’s Choice Best Writer, Women in Organizing — Sheroe Award, and ACHI Non-Profit Executive Director’s Award.

In this episode, we will discuss the following the lack of representation in Lupus community groups, Keva’s discovery of having an invisible illness, and starting a nonprofit organization from your passions & not something emotionally driven.

If you are a woman of color who is interested in learning more about the Nonprofit Sistas community or you're looking for a community to support you throughout your journey as a nonprofit leader, please visit our site at www.nonprofitsistas.com.

Find me on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and don't forget to follow the Nonprofit Sistas podcast.

We are excited to invite Anicia Manassa to the mic. Anicia has worked as a Sign Language Interpreter for over 8 years providing American Sign Language and English Interpretation to consumers on-site and virtually in multiple settings. It is Anicia's intention to maintain professionalism while providing Interpreting services to remove communication barriers for all individuals involved. 

Anicia is the founder of  Secure Interpreting Solutions (S.I.S). As the founder of S.I.S., her passion is empowering Interpreters of Color to achieve their goals confidently, despite limitations others have set for them. Anicia’s ultimate goal is to educate others on how to create a more equitable field in Sign Language Interpreting by removing racial boundaries. 

Anicia is a wife and a mother of 3 exceptional children. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with loved ones and trying new experiences.

In this episode, we will discuss the following reflecting on the representation of language interpreters, the feeling of being the only person of color in a niche area or industry, and what a perfect world could look like with communication and ASL.

If you are a woman of color who is interested in learning more about the Nonprofit Sistas community or you're looking for a community to support you throughout your journey as a nonprofit leader, please visit our site at www.nonprofitsistas.com.

Find me on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and don't forget to follow the Nonprofit Sistas podcast.

We are excited to invite Ann-Marie Swatson to the mic. She is the founder of Painted Pink, a nonprofit organization that seeks to fill the gap between young women and breast health education.

In 2011, Ann-Marie found two painful lumps in her breasts that resulted in two lumpectomies. Though her diagnosis came back negative for cancer, the feeling of helplessness never left her. Throughout her experience, Ann-Marie noticed a severe lack of resources available for young adults to advocate for themselves. Being planted in the reality of women’s health and the disparities, Ann-Marie desired to create a platform that helped young women advocate for their health.

Ann-Marie’s personal experience with breast cancer inspired her to create a nonprofit organization that would advocate for women’s health. After spending time researching breast cancer data for Georgians, she noticed some alarming statistics. 

Ann-Marie heard various stories about women and their experiences with breast cancer. Over time, she learned that women in their twenties and thirties with no family history of breast cancer, and who did not meet the standard criteria for breast cancer risk, were more commonplace than anticipated.

Painted Pink gives voice to an underserved group of young breast cancer survivors that need resources from healthcare professionals and education on consciously making better lifestyle choices for their health in beauty, food, and exercise choices.

In this episode, we will discuss the importance of breast health awareness and education, how someone’s beauty products or routines can affect their health, and making the right decisions to ensure the longevity of the organization.

If you are a woman of color who is interested in learning more about the Nonprofit Sistas community or you're looking for a community to support you throughout your journey as a nonprofit leader, please visit our site at www.nonprofitsistas.com.

Find me on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and don't forget to follow the Nonprofit Sistas podcast.