Business
Julie and Casey chat with community leader and NYC City Council District 27 candidate Nantasha Williams about her journey into public service, her experience helping to organize the women’s march, looking young in an arena that doesn’t exactly prize youth, intergenerational translation and mediation, creating coalitions, and what it takes to engage everyone in the political processes that affect their daily lives. TOP TAKEAWAYS: When people asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, Nantasha’s answer was “I want to be a judge” because of Thurgood Marshall. “I was really moved by this idea that someone could live a life in service to others in making conditions better for all The necessity (and challenges) of creating coalitions—how can we come together around common goals and values even across difference . . . and how can we know when we CAN’T “come together”? What would it look like if we spent as much time and money on educating people about the actual process of government as we did electing candidates? We have to broaden our attention beyond the “big” races to the local races (city council, sheriffs, police commissioners, judges, DAs) that profoundly affect our daily lives and the issues that we care about. As a person with a great deal of knowledge and expertise in an era where some people distrust that expertise in government (and prefer “outsiders”), Nantasha’s strategy is to meet people where they are and LISTEN. “It goes back to collaboration and collective organizing.” She sees herself as the mediator between respecting history and past innovators and bringing fresh ideas—we need that intergenerational exchange. Of all the communication challenges she faces as a young Black woman in politics, ageism seems to be the most “in your face”—as in, everyone feels very free to comment on it. Because ageism for her shows up as doubt in her level of experience, she often feels like she has to recite her resume . . . She then reminds herself that sometimes it comes from people who, for whatever reason, don't believe that she ought to be where she is, but she’s THERE. (We call this the “if you’re in the room, you belong in the room” principle.) “Running for office is like a rollercoaster ride” emotionally— Nantasha keeps herself grounded and present by not allowing herself to get on that ride. Sometimes our heartbreaks or “failures” are the catalysts that lead us to something better or more important that we could imagine. Nantasha is learning to trust her voice every day - “lean[ing] in to how I really feel about something[…]and allowing myself to follow my own voice and not the voices of others.” Nantasha Williams is a community leader, social justice advocate, and organizer committed to affecting real change in her community. In 2014, she was appointed the Executive Director of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. Today, she serves as a member of Community Board 13 where she was appointed Chair of the Special Initiatives Committee. Nantasha also serves as board member of Life Camp Inc. – a cure gun violence program. Nantasha is currently the Project Manager for Minority Women Business Enterprise Compliance, and helped initiate community outreach efforts for the JFK Redevelopment Program. Nantasha is currently in a PhD Program for Social Welfare at the CUNY Graduate Center with a research focus on Social Movements, Public Policy, and Racial Justice. She acquired her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. As a candidate for District 27 New York City Council Race, Nantasha’s key issues are creating new economic opportunities, youth development, housing, and protecting our seniors.