Friday, November 8, 2013

Meet Latressa Fulton!

I'm happy to present Latressa Fulton, a former Diaspora Board member. I have to personally thank Latressa for the cheers from Harlem on Sunday!  I am also grateful for her years of service on Diaspora's Board and her continued support.

Here's more from Tressa: 

MC: Diaspora's mission is to empower families and individuals, starting with young people. What's one of your favorite childhood (or teenage) memories?

LF: One of my favorite teenage memories is being taught how to drive by my brother. I'm the baby of the family, which consisted of my father, mother and my older brother. As we are 8 years apart, I always felt like I was in the way and was a major annoyance to my brother. But at 15 I wanted to learn how to drive. He made it seem like such torture to take his sister out in his shiny burgandy Honda with glistening silver rims. I was more terrified of getting a scratch on the car and him beating me up later. But I really believe I made him proud. We had a great time. I think that he was proud to show his little sister something that he was so great at. I was the first driver in my crew of high school friends. Of course I passed my driving test the first time. My brother has since passed from leukemia but I definitely appreciate him giving me that confidence that I could do anything (no matter what pressure I'm under!) Also, years later, he was the one in my family that also took me to buy my first car. Learning how to drive is one of my favorite teenage memories, it was a great time for us to bond!


MC: No matter how many times I finish a marathon, it still seems a bit implausible. What advice would you give to someone tackling a difficult and seemingly insurmountable goal?

LF: I congratulate you for taking on this marathon (again). My advice would be to break it down in chewable bit sized pieces.. Sometimes when it looks like it's a huge insurmountable goal, you have a better perspective of succeeding if it's broken down into smaller pieces. Also, it doesn't hurt to know that nothing is impossible.


MC: What is a cause that you feel passionately about? (Feel free to promote a particular organization or organizations.)

LF: I feel passionate about a lot of causes. But the one thing ties it all together is that I see that providing resources such as education or health information, can change someone's life. Everyone struggles from time to time, but if you link to them to a solution they are empowered to succeed. I enjoyed being on the Board of DCS! But it was when I sat with a smaller group of women and we talked nutrition and different accessible ways to lower and control their blood pressure did I feel proud about what I provide to the Community. I learned so much from the group and appreciate their openness.


I most recently served on the Grant Advisory Committee for the New York Women's Foundation. This organization is at the forefront of providing funding for nonprofits that serve young women and girls throughout the city. Learn more about them here: http://www.nywf.org/

Finally, check out H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths-- they help youth in NYC stay in college. They have extensive programming that keep our young adults active in giving back to the city by cleaning parks, running programs, etc. Check them out here: http://www.health4youths.org/

Thanks, Tressa!

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