OUR HISTORY
In the winter of 1902, Virginia “Sadie” Nash, made the papers—including The New York Times, The New York Herald, The Chicago Tribune, and The Atlanta Georgia Journal—when she lifted her skirt on a crowded trolley car in Nebraska and removed her petticoat to wrap it around a woman’s infant who was freezing. A known leader in her community, Sadie shocked more than her fellow trolley riders; she got the nation’s attention.
Sadie Nash Leadership Project draws its name and inspiration from Sadie Nash and her impulse to take action, brush convention aside, and lead by example.
OUR TIMELINE
2001
Cecilia Clarke starts Sadie Nash Leadership Project at her dining room table. The organization takes its name from her great-grandmother and is founded on the idea that young women of color are already leaders in their lives and communities — and have the potential to change our world for the better.
“The belief that power with, rather than power over, can fundamentally forge a path towards a better world is intrinsic to Sadie Nash. Here, community equals collective power.”
2002
Summer Institute takes place for the first time. This begins Sadie Nash’s 20 year history of creating 10,000 youth leaders in the movement for racial, gender, and social justice.
“We all have our own stories. I’ve learned they’re important and that we can use them for the greater good. We’re bound to change the world if we put our minds to it.”
2007
ELLA Fellowship funds its first year of youth activists. The fellowship honors powerhouse social activist Ella Baker as it supports young leaders in bringing to life a social justice project in their community.
“We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”
2008
Sadie Nash expands our reach by launching in Newark. 17 participants attend Summer Institute in Newark, NJ on Rutgers-Newark campus.
“To be a strong, healthy leader, we’re not only obligated to commit responsibilities to our communities, but also to have the responsibility to take care of ourselves.”
2013
Sadie Nash wins the prestigious National Arts and Humanities Youth Program award. This is the nation’s highest honor for after-school creative youth development programs — we receive the award from Michelle Obama!
“Students learn skills like determination and resilience from this work. And those skills will lead students to success no matter what path they choose.”
2017
Sadie Nash widens our mission to explicitly include trans + gender-expansive youth. Our work has always celebrated, questioned, and reimagined gender — and we embrace all our Nashers as they do the same
“Possibility blooms when people can self-fashion their own ways of living, loving, and looking.”
2018
2018: Executive Director Chitra Aiyar shares SNLP’s expertise on building community through a TED Talk. Our message reaches viewers over 47,000 times.
“We all have times we don’t feel that we belong. But if we take the time to make sure that other people belong, in that process we’ll find belonging as well.”
2020
The Founder’s Fund distributes $38,451 in emergency grants to help stabilize Nashers and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community takes care of each other — we showed up financially for our Nashers in a moment of national crisis to see them through to safer times.
“Guided by Black feminist thinkers, we define health holistically – as a condition that emerges from careful attention to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.”
2021
Rana Abdelhamid, an ELLA Fellow, begins her 2022 campaign for New York’s 12th district. She’s running with her values front-and-center: solidarity across difference; community and inclusion; and listening and learning.
“Leadership is a practice, not a position.”
2022
Sadie Nash celebrates 20 years of acting with love, acting for liberation.
“For two decades, Sadie Nash has provided an opportunity for young people to step into their confidence and purpose, encouraging them to experiment and evolve into the best version of themselves.”