NIA Centre’s tagline is clear: We Are Black Excellence!
“Nia” is the Swahili word for purpose.
We invite you to be a part of our journey to develop life-changing programs and events that are dedicated to Cultural Arts, Wealth Building & Entrepreneurship, and Health Awareness.
Our Mission
We aspire to be a nationally recognized nonprofit cultural center that celebrates Black Excellence.
Our Vision
To live in a world where African Americans have equitable financial, business, health and cultural opportunities that lead to achieving success.
Our purpose is to be a safe space where we acknowledge historical injustices against families, communities and cultures. But we also look ahead to a bright future that is informed by an understanding of the past and shaped by community action in the present. Here we are able to gather, speak, listen and share as we Inspire, Build, Transform and Connect all people of all ages.
Inspire
We inspire a positive Black experience. We create leaders. We also believe in the power of storytelling through peer-to-peer collaboration that dismantles barriers to success for communities of color. Using art as a catalyst for change, we support those with a talent to share their art. We encourage artists to “unwrap” their gifts, creating artistic ripples in our communities that disrupt sterotypical assumptions about what it really means to be a person of color in America.
Connect
We connect with organizations in Grand Rapids to understand what our communities need and how we can deliver. We connect our audience to local and national experts in art, culture, health care and entrepreneurship to promote a holistic approach to cultural needs, strengths and goals.
Build
We build safe spaces for the presentation, preservation, celebration and emancipation of African American culture. We strive to be the very best destination and resource for cultural torchbearers in Grand Rapids by offering support to artists, investing in local students, highlighting minority businesses and focusing our programming and events with equity in mind.
Transform
We transform as the authors of our own narrative. Through self-expression, community collaboration and the right amount of opportunity, we work to continually reevaluate our strategies, impact and performance. We extend this mindset to our audiences: never stop learning, growing and engaging with your roots to fully become the person you were destined to be.
We celebrate family, community, and culture in a holistic manner, actively seeking new intersections of our focus areas to foster a safe, thriving African American community in Grand Rapids.
Cultural Arts
Our primary focus is art access. We believe that the power of art and self-expression are critical tools to dismantle systemic barriers and inspire lasting change for communities of color. We provide art access to nationally and internationally known artists. Also, we seek to empower emerging artists of color by investing in them and providing them with broader exposure. Past exhibitions and performances have included Paul Collins, Damien Escobar, Deborah Shedrick, and Jon McDonald.
Entreprenuership & Wealth Building
We support all entrepreneurs and visionaries as they boost our local economy by starting or scaling their businesses. For this reason, we offer programming that connects entrepreneurs to the local community and that helps communities of color create or increase their wealth. We also support women, entrepreneurs of color, and businesses from the broader community. Finally, we also offer internship opportunities to underserved and youth of color.
Health Awareness
As a cultural center, we work collaboratively with health organizations, businesses, and nonprofits to promote health equity that serves as a catalyst to create better health outcomes within communities of color. We have hosted events that have focused on the lead-based problem in Grand Rapids, the COVID-19 pandemic, and colorectal cancer.
Founder
Ruth Coleman
Committee Member
Wayne Coleman
Board of Director
Robert Upton Jr.
Board of Director
Dr. Sandra Upton
Board of Director
Dr. Reginald Smith
Board of Director
Barbara D. Welch
Board of Director
Cory Smith
Media & Marketing Associate
Savannah Baker
Business and Fund Development Student Intern
Kelly Smith
Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids Community Foundation
Frey Foundation
WEGE Foundation
Endorsers
Shorouq Almallah, Betty Burton-Groce, Ovell Barbee, John Canepa (posthumously), Stephen & Clarice Drew, Bing Goei, Doyle Hayes, John Helmholdt, Ellen James, Joe Jones, Thomas Logan, Jr., Rodney Martin, Nathaniel Moody, Minnie Morey, Lupe Ramos-Montigny, Daniel Parker, Levi Rickert, Floyd Wilson, Jr. (posthumously), Shannon Wilson
(Partial list)