As a Black survivor of childhood rape and incest, Tashmica has spent much of her life asking, "What kinds of interventions could have prevented the harm and violence of sexual abuse that she endured as a child?"When Tashmica was a little girl, her father bought her a telescope, a glow in the dark star map, and spent time taking her to the desert to stargaze where it was easy to trap and abuse her. A weaver of impactful stories, she launched TFF at an event called Stargazing where she invited her community to help her reclaim the stars. Together, they began building a nonprofit organization that worked to honor the bravery of children who had experienced sexual abuse by building a community invested in their whole being.The Firecracker Foundation was based on ideas inspired by her own experiences and a desire to provide her community with a healing-centered response to child sexual abuse (CSA). As the organization's lead conjurer of resources, she uses her gifts to incite riots of generosity that have resulted in more than a million dollars in financial investments and countless hours of volunteer service. The foundation is now a vibrant organization that serves as a model of what is achievable through community-based, grassroots organizing that is survivor-led, trauma-informed and focused on healing as the main priority for youth and their families.This would not be the last time that Tashmica would alchemize painful memories into healing rituals for herself and others. She is recognized as a trusted and creative healer guided by the emerging needs and collective wisdom of those wounded by the harms of violence, oppression, and white supremacy.In 2015, Tashmica was honored to become a member of the inaugural cohort of Just Beginnings Collaborative where she was introduced to a beautifully diverse community of survivors from across the nation. It was there that her questions eventually propelled her toward the values of transformative justice and abolition. She is an inquisitive collector of knowledge and considers books her comfort items.Tashmica is joyfully disruptive. She leads with levity, laughter, and a mother wit that allows her to deliver challenging concepts and practices with humor and ease. She adds a level of mischief and playfulness to every room she encounters.When Tashmica is not visioning, cultivating, and facilitating her own heart work, she is raising the free people in her home, playing in her garden, helping leaders build their own dreams, and teaching and modeling how to create safe(r) spaces for all.
Listed skills include Public Speaking, Fundraising, Nonprofits, Event Planning, and 27 others.