Who I Am
In the fourth grade, my school held the Scholastic book fair, an event where students could purchase the books that were featured in the Scholastic Book Club. With money from my mom, I purchased the first book in The Babysitters Club series. The story of four girls starting their own business captivated me and started my lifelong love of reading. After reading Kristy's Great Idea, I convinced my mom to buy the subscription for the series, where every month the next three books in the series would be delivered to me. My love of reading eventually evolved into wanting to write stories, whether they were fiction or stories about topics that I cared about. It's been a long and circuitous journey to my becoming a writer. Although my day job is in philanthropy and I have also been organizing with community-based organizations, my passion is telling stories. I view my writing as a way to advocate for justice for marginalized communities and to center the experiences of Black women and girls. My site serves as a portfolio of my writing and a destination for my thoughts and musings on the subjects that I'm passionate about: social justice, books, writing, music, and food.
Professional Bio
Tasasha is currently an executive assistant at a private foundation in Chicago, IL. She provides high-level executive support and management to advance the Foundation’s mission in the areas of board management and governance, external relations, strategic initiatives, grantmaking, and learning and culture development.
She has experience in fundraising, program development, and communications. Prior to transitioning into the philanthropy sector, she spent 7 seven years as a grants manager, raising over $2.2 million for various social service organizations in Chicago. She has also worked as a freelance writer, with a focus on racial and gender justice issues.
Tasasha is passionate about creating a different world that is rooted in the values of justice, liberation, humanity, and love. She has worked to contribute to creating this new world as a long-time member of Love & Protect, a grassroots collective that supports women and gender nonconforming survivors of interpersonal violence who are facing criminalization. She is also a co-chair of the Racial Equity & Social Justice committee of Chicago Women in Philanthropy, and was previously co-chair of the Women of Color United Giving Council at Chicago Foundation for Women.
Tasasha has a Master of Science degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University and Bachelor of Science degree in Radio/TV/Film from Indiana State University.
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I have experience writing op-eds, interviews, and reviews. I also do freelance copy-editing. Click the link below to contact me about paid writing opportunities.
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My Experience
Freelance Writer
I am an emerging freelance writer who has written interviews, reviews, news analysis and essays for Truthout, BK Magazine, The Feminist Wire, and Bitch Magazine. A combination of lived experience, organizing and education have inspired me to add my unique voice and perspective to public conversations in hopes of inspiring people to action. See my Bylines page for links to articles I have written.
Program Development and Organizer
I have five years of experience in grassroots community work & program development. As a former Leadership Team member of Girl Talk, I contributed to the establishment of the program at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Girl Talk provided girls who were incarcerated with an opportunity for bi-weekly recreation where they could just be teen girls, something they weren't able to do. We screened films, engaged in discussion about film themes, and did art projects. My responsibilities included recruiting, training, and managing volunteers, creating a film and art curriculum and communicating with detention center staff.
As a co-organizer of Love & Protect, we serve as a support committee for women, transgender and gender-nonconforming folks criminalized for defending themselves against violence. In addition to providing financial support and helping people access resources, we raise awareness of the intersection of domestic violence and incarceration, and host film screenings, panel discussions, and exhibits. Learn more about our work here: http://loveandprotect.org
I served on the Board of Directors of Project Fierce Chicago for three years, a grassroots organization seeking to provide transitional housing for homeless LGBTQ youth. During my tenure, I contributed to the establishment and growth of the organization in the areas of fundraising strategy, strategic planning, board structure, and staffing.
Fundraiser
I have seven years of experience in writing and submitting foundation, corporate and government grant proposals for nonprofit organizations. I have written general operating, capacity building and program grants in the areas of health care, domestic violence, housing, and adult education. My experience with grants management include maintaining a grants calendar, preparing boiler plate language for grant submissions, and working with program directors on contract compliance, program implementation, evaluation, and reporting.
In addition to grant writing, I am experienced in planning small and large fundraisers, including soliciting sponsorships and auction items, managing volunteers, marketing, and managing event day logistics.
Skills
DonorPerfect, Raiser's Edge, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, Basecamp, Salesforce, MailChimp, Canva