NADIA FISCHER: THE NEW FACE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

Nadia Fischer (Flint, Michigan Native) Currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nadia’s activism is heavily focused in the areas of social justice and prison reform.

A significant aspect of Nadia’s contribution is her advocacy and public relations work on behalf of mothers of murdered sons. She was the catalyst for the relevancy for, Mothers of the Movement- a group formed to campaign with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in support of her candidacy for President of the United States and advocate for an end to senseless acts of violence. This group of mothers included: Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon Martin), Geneva Reed-Veal (Sandra Bland), Gwen Carr (Eric Garner), Maria Hamilton (Dontre Hamilton), Congresswoman Lucy
McBath (Jordan Davis) and others for social justice reform involving police and African American citizens, especially black males. Nadia felt these tragedies needed a much larger voice, so she shifted her passion toward television. Her involvement is credited with television networks such as TVOne Limited Docuseries and BET. Some of her projects include: Two Sides narrated by Viola Davis, The Quad, Black Girls Rock and The High Cost of Membership a Columbia University Legal Studies Documentary Initiative.

Nadia is the conduit for the release of 102 returning citizens with a 0% recidivism rate. It was an honor for WE Magazine to sit down with Nadia to discover more about her passion to Empower, impact and push the culture forward.

They started killing us in the woods, now they’ve taken it to the streets and courtrooms. –  Nadia Fischer 

WE: Being a native of Flint, Michigan briefly share your experience with the water issues?

NF: Beecher, Home of the Buccaneers is the small inner community where I was raised. My community is known for its plagued well water. As I reflect on my experiences with the water issues, it takes me back to my memories as a child. Bath time as a child is supposed to be fun and educational. It was time for playing with your toys, splashing in the water and learning the importance of gentle hygiene. For me, my childhood memories of bath time were sitting in a tub of rusty dirty water, with sometimes small pebble rocks flowing at the bottom often sticking to my backside. I often dreaded taking a bath for these very reasons. These memories also included coming inside the house after a sweltering summer afternoon from playing with my friends only to quench my thirst with this same rusty dirty water that always had floaties. My family often tried to avoid drinking the water by making Kool Aid to mask the flavor and color of the water. This was such an unhealthy alternative to drinking water and there were not many options available that my family could afford. To make matters worse, government officials knew about the poor, dirty water conditions and did nothing about it.   

WE: Share with our readers why you chose social activism & prison reform.

NF: At the impressionable age of 8 years old, I witnessed firsthand the physical and mental health consequences of what incarceration does to families and communities when my brother was sentenced as a first-time nonviolent offender. During slavery, they killed us in the woods, Jim Crow took it to the streets, and his grandchildren then took it the courtrooms. Enough is enough. I knew I had no choice; this is my life work. 

WE: What was your first successful prison reform case?

NF: What many would consider the most successful was actually the most educationally and emotionally impactful prison reform case that I have had. The case of Darnell Williams, resident of Detroit, Michigan was client who was charged with a nonviolent crime. Incarceration as punishment was not the remedy for the crime. 

Mr. Williams suffered from mental health issues. Prior to the excessive sentence that Mr. Williams received, no one from the court system bothered to assess his mental state or prior behavioral history. Fortunately, I was able to dive in by using grassroots tactics of advocacy to assist Mr. Williams. I worked tirelessly with zero financial support or donations to get Mr. Williams released. The real work had only begun and unfortunately my eyes were opened to the direct link in the mental health disparities in our criminal justice system. Upon release, Mr. Williams continued to suffer deeply from mental health issues that were heightened during his incarceration. If the proper mental health services were available, Mr. Williams would be alive today and for me that is bittersweet. This eye opening experience shaped my vantage point on how the current mental health system is the lifeline to our criminal justice system and how I engaged with mental health clients and their needs moving forward.

WE: How would you say African American women are perceived that carry your passion for justice?

NF: Let us look at the why versus the what. Unfortunately, African American women who share and carry the same passion for justice are often perceived as angry or rebellious and are often overlooked because of this stigma. One should not confuse passion and anger as having the same meaning. We fight for equality. We march for awareness. We galvanize because there is strength in numbers. We are the mothers of this globe. If you would listen to instructions from your mother, then you must listen to the passion and not the force behind it. Then you move and make change. 

WE: What current tactics inspire you?

NF: I am currently inspired by the activism tactics expressed by this generation. They make the phrase “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” come to life. Specifically, Lil Baby’s, The Bigger Picture, I can listen to this song 2 or 3 times a day. The lyrics of this song and his expressed passion extremely resonates with the social justice issues that we are currently facing in our country. This generation expresses their feelings of resiliency through impactful and transparent words using technology, social media and musical platforms. They then take those words directly to the streets and create change in real time. Instead of criticizing these tactics, we must support this generation by guiding and joining them in their efforts of activism.

WE: What advice would you give to progressive activists in 2020-2021, hungry to do something but unsure about what to do?

NF: Activism starts in the very community in which we live. Making small changes in your community can range from volunteerism or assisting your local board of elections with community resident voter registration. You should also connect with organizations who are making a positive change. For me, I connected with my community in Spring 2004 by becoming a member of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated. In January 13,1913 twenty-two illustrious African American women decided to fight for women’s suffrage and equality. They fought with fortitude even when those standing beside them did not consider them equal. To date, four hundred thousand plus strong African American women of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated have created the blueprint. For this, I am grateful and will forever stand in solidarity alongside them. As progressive activists, we must mirror these principles by fighting with fortitude and with a driven purpose.

WE: When Nadia is not extending herself to social empowerment what are you doing to have fun and create balance?

NF: Selfcare is the best care. I am a firm believer that I cannot be good for anyone else if I’m not good for myself first. I take laughter as my medicine and I curse to feel good. I find time to pray, meditate, travel domestic and internationally, share funny memes via social media with my friends and family. I guess you can say I am old school because I believe in physically calling my childhood friends and sometimes laughing on the phone until early morning in the hours talking about old times.  

WE: How does it make you feel to be a top person of interest when it comes to getting things done in the world of social injustice?

NF: I did not start this movement to become a household name. If hearing my name keeps this at the forefront of conversations and movement then I welcome it. My hope is that it would help my cause and inspire others. My mission will forever be changing minds, healing hearts and saving lives and not necessarily in that order.

WE: Lastly, what is next for Nadia?

NF: I have never separated activism and my work as a publicist. Now, I am incorporating both across all media platforms to raise awareness and strengthen the movement. I am finalizing my book My Water Has Never Been Clean and I am the Executive Producer of the forthcoming documentary The Ballad Of A Black Mother and of course I will continue to Fuck Shit Up With A Purpose and a Smile, like me or not, I will not stop until I see positive change.