Today, we’d like to introduce you to Dia Parker. Dia was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Whitney Bentley.
Dia, thank you so much for joining us today. We’d love for you to bring our readers up to speed – can you introduce yourself and share your story?
As an Atlanta native and social entrepreneur I spend everyday fighting to close the gaps created by a multitude of injustices. My focus is on youth development because it’s essential that we invest in the leaders of tomorrow or we will continue to face the same problems in perpetuity. Our youth need more than to see people who look like them sitting at the top. They need to know the “who-what-where-when-how” of how they can achieve the same and soar even higher. It is immoral how much excess exists in our city, state and nation and how much mental and physical anguish families living in poverty suffer due to a lack of access to resources. It’s simple, the system we’re using isn’t working and social issues will only worsen if we do not begin to work together to ensure everyone has equitable access to a high quality of life. I believe that rest is a birthright not a gift of wealth and that until we all have equitable access to rest, food, clean drinking water, healthcare, and education we will not prosper as a collective. Growing up I dreamt of becoming a doctor until I met other women of color in the medical field and discovered the unspoken cost of medical education and the profession overall. I studied biology at Oglethorpe University in pursuit of this dream completing a pre-medical tract, and a minor in psychology. I found my calling while completing my work study job as a Peer Educator & Outreach Coordinator in the university’s counseling department where it was my job to research and develop health-based programs for students like myself. Through this work I learned about grant writing and reporting, as well as program development and evaluation, skills I use each day as the current Executive Director of Athena’s Warehouse. I got into nonprofit work as co-founder of Los de Vecinos Buford Hwy in 2016 after my family was displaced from our apartment home of 15 years in Brookhaven, GA. We had lived in that apartment long before Brookhaven became a city and when developers began flocking to the newly incorporated city our apartment complex was one of the first to go. I knew the sweep of gentrification wouldn’t stop there so myself and a team of other local organizers began meeting to see how we could fight to keep people in their homes. 1 year later we would incorporate as a 501c3 and I began to learn the strengths and weaknesses of nonprofit social change making. Around that time my mentor, Bee Nguyen was running for the open State House of Representatives seat formerly held by Stacey Abrams. I began knocking doors for her campaign and even served as a legislative aide for Bee Nguyen during her first term as a representative. I met Bee, when I was a teen in need of a prom dress from the organization she founded, Athena’s Warehouse. I went through the “Be Awesome, Be Aware” workshop series after being introduced to the organization through the prom project and I asked if this was a national organization or if it was associated with a church, then I heard her story from one of her sisters that she was simply a woman of color with a dream to spread sisterhood and that she had picked my high school because she felt the students reminded her of herself. It was that seed of inspiration which sprouted when I faced injustice firsthand and I knew we could create our own organization educating tenants on their rights through Los Vecinos de Buford Hwy. I served as the Executive Director of Vecinos BH until 2021 when I went back to school to get my masters of arts in Social Innovation at Agnes Scott College where I am solidifying my knowledge of social entrepreneurship tactics and best practices.
We’ve heard great things about your organization. For our readers who might not be as familiar, can you please tell them about the organization?
The mission of Athena’s Warehouse is to provide young women, nonbinary & gender nonconforming youth with the tools to build confidence through mentorship, scholarship, and workshops which focus on their personal & professional development for youth ages 14-25. We are breaking barriers to success through a holistic wellness initiative called “Discover Your Inner Warrior.” Each week students learn about topics including, domestic violence, reproductive health, emotional wellbeing, how to apply for college and much more. We are led by and serve women of color. Many staff and board members participated in the programs offered by Athena’s Warehouse when they were in high school. This unique composition of our team equips us to be proactive and responsive to the needs of our program participants. Current and past program participants can also join our community advisory board to directly influence our programming at every level. We are aligned with the values of the community we serve, we bring resources to our youth with dignity, equity and without judgment since our leadership team deeply understands the issues our youth face daily. We are most proud of our program participants who establish themselves in their careers and return to serve their community with us.
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Whitney Bentley and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Whitney.
Working with Pamoja Keepsakes takes a huge weight off our team’s shoulders. When we need a professional touch and templates just won’t get the job done then we call on Whitney Bentley of Pamoja Keepsakes. From t-shirt design to a zine packed with student stories we’ve relied on the impeccable work of Whitney Bentley through Pamoja Keepsakes since 2020. Athena’s Warehouse loves working with Whitney because she’s transparent about every step in her creative process and skilled at interpreting our wild visions and turning them into masterpieces. Whitney ensures every member of our team that we’ve looped into the process has their voice heard and that they feel truly included in creating these projects together. Whitney isn’t just an artist she’s a researcher, an entrepreneur, and an expert on “doing it yourself,” these lenses allow her to magnify our strengths and take a project to the next level. As a researcher she’s unafraid to let you know what she doesn’t know and take a deep dive to bridge the gaps between the information provided and what’s needed to execute the piece. She’s not only agile but because she’s been on the other side of building and maintaining a brand narrative she can seamlessly guide you. As a woman of color serving young women of color it’s crucial that we work with an artist who can come to our workshops and see our youth for who they really are. Whitney has not only worked with us as our go to artist and creative director on a number of projects but she personally volunteers with us as a mentor. She works one-on-one with a student interested in pursuing art as a profession and she guides, listens to, and encourages this student to tackle their dreams head on. This level of commitment to our work lightens my burden as the organization’s Executive Director, knowing that we never need to scramble to find someone to bridge the gaps for us in the way that Whitney does.
Website: www.athenaswarehouse.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/athenaswarehouse
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athenaswh/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/athenaswh
Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenaswarehouse
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AthenasWarehouse
