Nikki Martin-Bynum

Nikki is the child of immigrants, a sister to 8 siblings, an auntie to 40 nieces and nephews, mother to one and Terrence’s wife.  She is a certified Jersey girl despite living in Florida for over 15 years.  With formal education at Temple University in African American Studies, it was there her identity as a Community Keeper–those who act in service of the highest good of their community–was forged.   Read below to explore how Nikki shows up as a Neighbor, Community Partner and Philanthropist.  

Neighbor:  As a South Florida resident for over 15 years, Nikki centered her resident identity while living in Boynton Beach.  It was there she actively took up the stance of “neighbor” by seeking to “love thy neighbor as thyself”.  This would show up in her efforts as an active mama at a neighborhood park, hosting birthday parties for neighborhood kids and watching over all the kiddos.  Town employees noted that when “park mamas” were on duty, which was at least 4 days a week, the overall safety and civility improved.  Nikki's love for Boynton Beach was further exemplified by her participation in the town's annual Martin Luther King Day committee, which organized activism and celebratory events. 

Community Partner: Nikki’s experience spans early childhood, youth development, and working with formerly incarcerated people.  One space that incorporated the ethos of Ubuntu was when she was working in homevisiting, which is a part of the early learning field, where an individual comes into the home to deliver child development/family strengthening information.  In this particular program, one neighbor with young children would meet at another neighbor's home to share a child development curriculum with them that supports school readiness.  Unlike so many other programs, this effort was centered in their shared identity as parents or caregivers of young children who resided in the same community.  Additionally, the curriculum was shared with the parent, with the belief that when the homevisitor left the home, the best teacher for the child was their own parent.  This notion that parents are equipped and capable to be their child’s first (and best teacher) by learning strategies from another neighbor is deeply aligned with her values and continues to inform her to this day.

Philanthropy: Nikki's seven years of experience working with a government organization that funded local efforts and closely resembled a philanthropic organization provided her with unique insight into family foundations, health conversion foundations, and other kinds of foundations. This experience stemmed from the organization's partnerships with organizations that were formally recognized as part of the philanthropic sector. Despite formally leaving the field of grantmaking, Nikki's community and neighbor identity remained central to her values. As a result, she was asked to become a founding member of Dismantling Racism in Funder Land in Palm Beach County, a network of philanthropists seeking to challenge the status quo.