The tag line to Nicole's blog-- "do [i] ever stop migrating?"-- is a telling description of her journey to Sojourners: telling, both on account of her love for Alfred Hitchcock and other classic cinema as well as her ping pong around the United States.
Nicole was born in Jamaica but grew up in the central Florida area, and later studied psychology at Mercer University in Georgia (go Bears!). Most recently, Nicole completed her Master's degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, studying urban work and international development.
Serving Sojourners as the Executive Assistant, Nicole moves back east to continue her interest in issues of immigration and advocacy, intersecting faith and social engagement.
When she is not working, you will most likely find Nicole exploring the city on the Metro, at the farmers market or an ice cream store, or baking desserts in the kitchen.
You can follow Nicole's musings on social justice, movies, and everything in between on Twitter (@rareblackbirds) or at her blog page, a nesting place.
Posts By This Author
She Said: What's Not to Like About 'The Dark Knight Rises'?
Christian Bale as Batman in "The Dark Knight Rises." Photo via Warner Bros.
No introductions necessary here, right? We all have been looking forward to this conclusion of the Christopher Nolan-directed Batman trilogy and I am happy to report that my excitement for the summer blockbuster has been satisfied.
The Dark Knight Rises takes the viewer to the eight-year anniversary of the death of Gotham's white knight, Harvey Dent. Despite knowing the dark truth about Dent's demise, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) maintains the virtuous persona of the slain District Attorney while similarly honoring the reclusive behavior of the ailing and secretive heir, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).
Batman, too, has been out of the spotlight in the years following Dent's death, having taken the blame for his demise in order to cover Dent's actions, but his absence is put to the test with the emergence of a new villain — the mercenary extraordinare, Bane (Tom Hardy), who brings the havoc and rage reminiscent of Wayne's former mentor, Ra's Al Ghul.
Batman is forced to re-evaluate his former relationships with Gordon, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and his loyal butler, Alfred (Michael Caine). He also must learn whether to trust new people on the scene or not, including the successful (and fetching) thief Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), and Gotham Police Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The rest you'll have to see for yourself.
FIRSTS: “Lord, Why Did You Make Me Black?”
FIRSTS image by sharpner/shutterstock with illustration by Cathleen Falsani.
I was thirteen years old, a freshman in high school. This was my first mission trip – a week of working in an elementary school in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
Inner-city urban experience, meet private-school-raised girl.
School grounds within the walls of my church, meet bars and constant police surveillance.
The students we were going to serve looked a lot like me, but I could not feel further from their experience
'The Avengers' Lives Up to the Hype
R Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Renner and Robert Downey Jr. at the European premiere of The Avengers. Dave Hogan/Getty Images
Ladies and gentlemen, summer has arrived.
This past weekend I joined the ranks of moviegoers and saw the action-packed and highly anticipated superhero movie, The Avengers, and the film lived up to its hype.
To those more familiar with the comic book storylines, please forgive me for any glaring reduction of the plot. I stand with you in my enthusiasm for the film, and I appreciate your full understanding of the respective stories leading to this reunion.
World Malaria Day Concert for Sierra Leone
Dengue fever info-text. Via mrfiza / Shutterstock
When I moved to Washington, D.C., I—like perhaps most other 20-somethings—imagined this place as a hub of both political thought and non-profit zeal; the coexistence of both worlds, all to change society. Lofty ideals, right? Perhaps.
Ideal, meet the venue Busboys and Poets plus friends and co-laborers in the fight for justice: Faiths Act, ONE, Malaria No More, and the 9/11 Unity Walk. Last night, a handful of musicians and spoken-word artists united in faith and activism under a common cause: World Malaria Day concert for Sierra Leone.
Updated: Clooney Arrested at DC Protest (Video)
George Clooney and father, Nick, speak at Sudan protest. (Photo by Sandi Villarreal, Sojourners)
Actor George Clooney was arrested during a protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. Friday morning.
She Said, He Said: On the Misogyny of the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
Screenshot of Peterson during one of his numerous appearances on FOXNewsChannel.
FOX NewsChannel host Sean Hannity calls the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, "the most courageous, outspoken critic of the liberal left and the so-called 'black leadership' in America today."
He also calls him pastor.
Peterson, 62, is president and founder of The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND) — an organization dedicated to promoting the conservative agenda in the African American community. Host of his own radio and television programs, Peterson also is a member of Choose Black American, which stridently opposes illegal immigration in the United States and a former member of the California Christian Coalition.
Hannity has hosted Peterson as a guest on his Fox show numerous times and sits on the board of BOND, which he lauds for having, "played an instrumental role in helping young men and women build lives which will help inspire the next generation. BOND continues to fight the good fight standing for the values of God, family, and country, and are deserving of our support."
On March 5, Peterson took to the airways on his "Exploring Your Destiny with Jesse Lee Peterson" program and delivered a message/sermon titled, "How Most Women Are Building a Shameless Society." The video clip came to our attention Thursday afternoon, when Fox and Daily Beast contributor Kirsten Powers, a Democtrat who also happens to be an evangelical Christian, began posting a litany of tweets on Twitter castigating Peterson for his blatant misogyny.
Wanderlust: A Sojourn to Elysium
Producer Judd Apatow, Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd arrive at the L.A. Wanderlust premiere. (Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage)
If there were a movie about your life, what would it look like? Which celebrity would play you?
Ah, the timeless ice breaker question.
Over the weekend, I made plans to see Friends with Kids with a few coworkers. I thought I was heading to see a comedic depiction of my current life stage as the young adult who is left in the dust of the friends-getting-married-and-having-kids frenzy.
If this confession prompts an eye roll from you on account of my young adult angst, let me add one bit of vindication: the movie was sold out.
Our next option was to see Wanderlust, and something interesting happened: in my search for one snapshot of my current context, I found a wholly different but still parallel other. Bring on the ice breaker questions — I have found the film about my year in intentional community.