Nazeera’s Why Not? garnering momentum and lighting up issues
Dr. Nazeera Dawood is a devoted community activist committed to not staying silent; she has served Fulton County as a health promotion program manager, served as Chief of Staff for Fulton County Chairman John Eaves, run for public office herself, and now interacts with the community through her “Chai & Just Chat” townhall conversations. Fulton County Commissioners honored Dr. Dawood’s quiet but powerful leadership by issuing a proclamation recognizing October 1, 2014 as “Dr. Nazeera Dawood Appreciation Day.”
Fast forward to now: August 11, 2018 marked not only her birthday, but the 1st anniversary of the “Chai & Just Chat” conversations surrounding social concerns that we often easily dispense with, with apathy, within our communities. The topic selections have varied and tend to advance the field of humanitarian efforts through interactions among professionals, community advocates, and experts; resources are shared while focusing on advocacy, communication, education, and action-oriented dialogues. Some topics included: Journalism; Health & Diet; Cultural Identity; Immigration; From Cradle to Cane – Financial Resources; Managing Aging; Improving Communication & Dialogue between Adults & Teenagers & School Educators; Woman & Man Are from Earth; Powerpointing to Powersharing; Improving South Asian Health – in collaboration with SAPHA; Interfaith Dialogue; Becoming an Entrepreneur – Life's Next Chapter; Conquering Childhood Cancer – in collaboration with Access Life America; etc.
“It was an organic decision for me to initiate the monthly Chai and Just Chats. I have believed in innovative and collaborative approaches engaging traditional and nontraditional partnerships. I believe in galvanizing the energies and empowering all citizens to collectively improve community health,” responds Nazeera to the Why question. “So far I have received insightful feed-forwards from repeat attendees and many others who attend the monthly session. The diversity is growing. As other organizations call for collaborative efforts, I know our efforts are purposeful and meaningful.”
These are some of the memorable feed-forwards she has received: “A note of thanks for your time, an expression of appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of your event today, an humbling sentiment of gratitude for your graciousness and for all that you do for the Greatest of God's creations. BRILLIANT, is the term that is inadequate to share my observation about what you did today.”
“My Dear Precious "Beautiful" Little Sister, you have a winner with your activity, and it has the potential to be a forum that can revolutionize convening individuals around a subject, issue, or matter that is impacting their quality of life, or educating your followers and supporters, on a contemporary happening that they may not be aware of, from political to health, economically, socially, gender, race, and lifestyle, the topics are endless.”
“You are a warmly embracing and adept hostess, you ask questions that are sensitively provocative and you are commanding in your stage presence, which is an art, and I was impressed with how masterfully you guided your panelists, and your skill in timing. Also, your daughters are lovely, with charming personalities.” Jay Francis Springs, Atlanta’s Incredible Radio (1570 AM) and The Atlanta Voice “Nazeera, I want to thank you for the invitation to speak at your event. I found the conversation most interesting, and it was very good for me as a representative to get to know your community. My fellow panelists were very thoughtful in their answers. My thanks, as a citizen, to you for taking this path of open dialogue.” Teya Ryan, President & CEO, GPB Media
She has also gotten some traction from the mainstream local print media. “I have not pitched to the mainstream yet but I am hoping that it will gain traction organically. I have been receiving interest from nonprofit organizations to collaborate on monthly sessions,” says she.
On August 11, the conversation on “Moments of Happiness” considered the who, what, why, and how, concluding: Be in the Moment! Coincidentally the happiness included the celebration of her birthday with performer Jaswinder Singh Bunty (shagird of iconic ghazal singer, Jagjit Singh) and his team. On hearing Bunty the first time rendering ghazals, Nazeera felt an inner happiness, which is what ghazals do—soothe the soul. She asked the artist if he would perform in Atlanta. He immediately agreed and the attendees will testify to the amount of joy they felt listening to his mellifluous voice. Additionally there was a tribal drumming dance performed by a group from Tamil Nadu. It included the ancient drum used in communications at ceremonial proceedings and celebrations.
Some of the upcoming sessions are October: Interpersonal Relationships - in collaboration with Banyan Way, and November: The Tic in Politics or the Process. Meanwhile, her recorded video sessions library continues to grow on Nazeera.net.
Website Bonus Feature
Photo Gallery:
One Year Anniversary Get Together & Birthday Celebration Album 1
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JBblhY2hQF56zUoh2DOWTQOCR28Z07e0
One Year Anniversary Get Together & Birthday Celebration Album 2
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s-Wwq9rvrXfTJXA1nWSFvMb6jGaTU8jx
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