Nina has been a community activist since 1997 when she became a part of the YouthBuild movement. It was then when she decided to take back her community by first transforming her life, her family and her community by building homes for homeless families. Through Youth Action Program and Homes, an East Harlem-based organization that has been committed to empowering youth and building community for over 20 years, she started to advocate for her community. Nina challenged public officials to fight for programs like youth action program and homes, touched on issues that talked about the environment and why people in East Harlem were suffering from asthma, and diabetes. Youth Action Program and Homes gave Nina the necessary tools to step up and join the fight to end poverty and advocate for communities all over the country on social injustices.
Nina is a grassroots organizer in the South Bronx and is responsible for training youth in skills of community organizing and helping them in developing youth led community building and organizing projects. The young people learn skills not taught in NYC public educational school system, skills such as community mapping, Bronx River water testing, Asthma studies, more green space community, and analyzing contaminated sites in the south Bronx community. Nina has also traveled the country and has given speeches regarding environmental issues that affect people of color in urban communities.
Nina also educates the young residents of Spanish Harlem through learning tools that challenge and also support young people in developing leadership, and activism around key issues in the community such as environmental racism, tenant community organizing, political awareness and economic development. Nina is also the founder of a step dance group called “Cross Bronx Stomp” for youth ages 13 to 18 to Stomp out Racism, Sexism and Poverty.
Nina is a board member of Youth Action Program and Homes, where she works on the internal development of the organization and she also trains young people in skills of community organizing and in-depth learning of past social movements through activists around the world. On a national level, Nina currently serves as the Vice President of YouthBuild USA ’s National Alumni Council, a peer-elected body that leads the Alumni Association and provides input on national YouthBuild policy. Nina also advocates for ending poverty for all young people by working with a talented group of thought leaders from around the country that are building a movement of 1000 leaders, and reshaping this new generation in hopes to inspire young people to join the fight to end poverty. Nina was also a spokes person for National Earth Day in DC where she gave a speech to over one million people on environmental issues that effect people of color in urban communities.
Nina is also a graduate of Morgan State University with a Bachelor’s in Speech Communications and a graduate of Metropolitan College of New York with a Masters in Public Administration.
