Sneak Peek of Our April Storytellers

Introducing Our April Storytellers

April 19, 2019

Dave & Buster's Lynnhaven Mall, Virginia Beach, VA

Introducing a few of our storytellers for our April show!

 

 

Storytellers

Neisha Himes, Founder, GROW Foundation will share a story called “Victim to Victor: How I became Wonder Woman”

Neisha Himes is a survivor of domestic violence and devoted advocate.  After leaving the toxic

relationship in late 2012, she began telling her story years later via her gift of Spoken Word.  Known to the poetry community as ‘Beautiful Dizaster’, Neisha has featured on many stages and often uses her talent as a method for bringing awareness.  Her courageous transparency soon led to requests to share her story on platforms such as: radio interviews, high school and college awareness programs, community seminars, out of state conferences and more.  Along with her speaking engagements, she began volunteering at a local shelter where she created a journaling group to encourage self-expression and healing through the art of writing.  She later became certified as a Human Trafficking Victim Advocate with the Virginia Beach Justice Initiative and remains an active volunteer with the organization.  In August 2016, she founded G.R.O.W. Foundation and currently leads a team of nine board members and volunteers in carrying out the organization’s mission.  In July 2017, she left her career as a Real Estate Paralegal to join a local city prosecution office, holding a position as their Domestic Violence Victim/Witness Advocate.  Additionally, Neisha serves as an active member of the Hampton Roads Military & Civilian Family Violence Prevention Council, the 24th Judicial District Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the African American Leadership Task Force and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  In honor of her work, Neisha was recognized by Investigation Discovery (in collaboration with ‘People’) as their ‘Inspire A Difference: Hero of the Month’, featured on PBS channel’s ‘Virginia Currents’, and the recipient of the YWCA’s ‘2019 Woman of Distinction Award’, along with a host of local accolades.  Her unwavering dedication and passion to help others is the driving force behind the mission of G.R.O.W. Foundation.

 

 

Raymond Barnes, Registered Peer Recovery Specialist, State Peer Trainer will share his recovery journey.

Raymond was born in Jamaica Queens, New York and is the oldest of five children. Raymond says  he had a pretty normal upbringing. Raymond says he is the child of a functioning alcoholic, an enabling mother, and has been around some sort of drugs or alcohol since he was little. Raymond struggled with drug addiction in his adult life. He has been clean for several years now, but still considers himself an addict living in recovery. He now uses his lived experience as a Peer Recovery Specialist to lead a life saving recovery program in Norfolk, and train other to become peers also.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nadejeh Minerva, Hampton University Graduate, Founder #MyStrengthisBeautiful Inc.  

 

Nadejeh Minerva is a Brooklyn born, Hampton University graduate, as well as a survivor of sexual

assault and domestic violence. She founded #MyStrengthIsBeautiful Inc., to empower survivors like herself. Her foundation is determined to nourish the emotional, mental, physical, social, and professional levels of each survivor, so their transition is made easier. Her story is “My Strength. My Story. My Glory”, the victory she never thought she’d see.

 

 



 

 

Get Your Tickets to this powerful night of storytelling.

April 19, 2019

Dave & Buster's Virginia Beach, VA

6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tickets $10

$15 at the door

Click here to buy!

 

 

 

 

Also check our highlights from our March show.

 

Donate to our cause at www.gofund.com/teamgoodgirl

 

 



I’m That Oreo Girl

No one wants to hear the opinion of an Oreo.

No, I’m not talking about those amazingly delicious Nabisco cookies. 

Chocolate on the outside, vanilla on the inside.

I’m talking about the very unlucky people like me who dubbed an Oreo.

It’s what they called me in middle school when I rose my hand in class, sat in the front of the bus, or used the word sugar instead of shit.

It’s the nickname no brown or black person wants.

Sure my skin is black….but I soon found out that didn’t mean I was black.  

It was a startling revelation in my search to define myself as a woman, as a first born, as an American….

In high school I learned there’s a whole box of things that qualify you as black, mostly stereotypical things like the music you listen to, your pattern of speech, how you dress

These things apparently defined your blackness amongst other black folks.

You had to have a hard knocks life story or atleast your kin folk did… 

You had to have a toughness to you… 

You had to be confident and take no shit

You had to listen to Biggie, Tupac, and Jay-z

To other blacks folks, black I was not.

With my platform shoes inspired by the Spice Girls

Or the way I rocked out to Coldplay and Norah Jones

I longed to recieve the invisible black card given to people of color, to be included, to feel accepted

So when I left my Filipino run high school in Virginia Beach I immediately applied to an all black college.

My parents were so proud.

I thought there I would find my blackness

It would be like the classic Spike Lee film School Daze

The film about a fictional historically black college that featured all black sororities, black activism, black music, and stepping in the quad.

But I guess I didn’t pay attention to the real messages that Spike Lee movie was preaching.

The messages colorism among black folks, and the struggle in having a voice in a world that judged you by the color of your skin.

Even at this all black college I was placed in the cookie category once again in college

They too called be an Oreo 

I was too white to be accepted by my black classmates… 

An Oreo who didn’t know how to play spade, or code switch …

I grew exhausted of trying to be something and someone I didn’t know how to be, so I left that all black school and went to a multicultural school… and I stopped trying to be black and started just trying to be me…

GGC Storytelling Nights: It Keeps Getting Better

Danita Myanne shares from her book

 

WOW! I'm still in awe of how many people came out to support our most recent storytelling night, and the powerful stories that were shared. March 1st I hosted my  sixth storytelling night!  8 brave people shared their recovery stories, survival stories, mental health stories, parenting stories and so much more. It was an incredibly powerful evening.

 

I saw attendants crying, laughing, hugging, and finding similarities with so many of our storytellers. These storytelling shows prove that when we share our stories, we give it power to help, comfort, heal, and motivate others.

I want to thank each of our storytellers Amy Walton, Mike "The Fitness Junkie" Lambert, Brandy Anderson, Chanita Stone, Natasha Ewa, Tanecia "SweeTee" Newman, Danita Myanne, and Vernard "The Laugh Therapist" Hines for sharing!





This Instagram post from storyteller Nastasha Ewa captures what so many storytellers felt after the show------->


Also for the first time we had a few businesses sponsoring our event. Special thanks to Danielle McDowell of The Healing Space, Carol Rood of Sugar and Skin Spa, and Michelle Layne of The R.Y.D.E. Foundation sponsored our event!


Special thanks to Gourmet Burger Bistro from Portsmouth,VA, Bearded Bird Brewing Co. in Norfolk for allowing us to host our events at their venue, and Pownd Cakes by Jen for bringing her delicious treats to our event.

Pownd Cakes by Jen








                                        Gourmet Burger Bistro

Because our events are growing next month we're moving to a larger venue. April 19, 2019 we'll be hosting our show at Dave & Busters at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach.

Storytellers for this show include Tyler Layne, Neisha Hines, Eliza Stinson, Naderjh Minerva, Florenza Lee, Your Neighbor's Hood Podcasters, Marcia Ali, and Regina Mobley. You can get tickets now online. Click here