Nicola Norman

Nicola is a strategic program coordinator and multi passionate with a background in community health programs and youth engagement, deeply inspired by principles of food justice and informed by experiences living in under resourced urban food geographies - with a special focus on the African diaspora. In her focus area of Food Systems for Health, her collaborative work with Black Yield Institute (BYI) as a Marketplace Assistant includes supporting capacity building efforts for BYI’s Food Autonomy Project and transitioning a marketplace model into a community controlled cooperative. Through shared leadership, community engagement, and coordination the collaboration is designed to amplify local voices and support the expansion of Black Yields food network.

Black Yield Institute (BYI) is a Black-created, Black-led institution based in Baltimore, Maryland, organized for the purpose of addressing food and land-based oppression. Since its inception in November 2015, and rooted in Pan-African thought, reflection, and action, BYI organizes through two key areas: the Food Supply Chain and Movement Support & Organizing. These areas of focus work in tandem to create sustainable, self-determined systems for Black communities, particularly in the realms of food and land. BYI strives for food economies that reduce dependency on external entities, while reaffirming African diasporic cultural practices and values. These economies will prioritize cooperative development and mutual support, creating a sustainable system that nurtures the health, well-being, and cultural affirmation of the black community.