Photograph By Shane Van Boxtel/Image Studios
When Rhonda Chandler and her family relocated to De Pere from Charlotte, North Carolina in 2015, the differences they encountered included more than just the weather. The lack of racial diversity in the area proved to be a challenge for Chandler’s three children, particularly her two school-aged daughters.
Chandler, who recently received the Green Bay Packers’ inaugural Inspire Change Changemaker Award, founded her nonprofit Lovin’ the Skin I’m In to uplift the voices of Black and brown girls in Northeast Wisconsin.
Insight: What inspired you to start your nonprofit organization, Lovin’ the Skin I’m In?
Rhonda Chandler: I never imagined that I would be running a nonprofit, but the organization is personal for me. After relocating here from North Carolina, we realized the lack of diversity in the area. My girls, especially my oldest daughter, had a really hard time in school acclimating to the community. I think at the time De Pere had less than a 1% minority population. It was a huge culture shock. We did what we could as parents to find resources. My background as a social worker helped. When my youngest daughter got to fifth grade, she started having similar experiences with microaggressions and racist comments from peers and even adults questioning her about her hair. I took matters into my own hands and started having some girls come over and hang out at our house. And that’s really how it started. We met other folks from church who were raising Black and biracial girls. There is a heavy population of families that have adopted biracial children, but it’s like a hidden secret right here in the midst of everything. That’s how I started meeting other parents, and the girls would come over and just hang out in my basement and do different activities. They would shoot the breeze and talk about things they were experiencing in their school districts. We were established as a 501(c)3 in September 2020, but started meeting in 2019.
What is a typical meeting like?
We started with like six to eight girls. Now I think we’ve reached close to 100 girls. We go into a couple of local schools and have groups that range from about eight to 20, and then we have a larger community group that meets monthly. We have families that come from the Fox Cities and Appleton area as well as various schools in the Green Bay area. We average close to 20 or so girls for the meeting. At our monthly meetings, we have discussions, do movie nights, make s’mores. We’ve done virtual scavenger hunts. We really just try to create that safe space where girls feel they can come and share and talk about things. We have mentors there that look like them. We work with them and spend time with them. The girls, and even the parents, feel like they have a voice and that they can be themselves.
I think I read that you recently launched a male-focused group?
We did. After we started, a lot of folks asked what do you do for the boys? So late last year, we had our first few meetings with the male group, giving them an opportunity to bond and meet one another through various activities. They’ve gone bowling together. They’ve had an opportunity to go to the barber shop together and have a good haircut. And then just an opportunity to just do some extracurricular things like play ball and play video games together. We are really trying to build that community for them also.
Community service is a big part of your philosophy. How does that show up in the work you do with the girls?
We are in the process of doing a hair care initiative. We received a [Character Playbook Community Impact Grant] from the Green Bay Packers and Brown County United Way to purchase hair care products for families of color who are homeless. I’m hoping that we will make it an annual event because it’s so needed. At one of the shelters we contacted, over 50% of its residents were people of color. It’s just a growing issue. And people think that it’s not a big deal, but it is a big deal to have the right hair care products so kids can feel good when they go to school and parents can feel good when they go to find work. We want to encourage service and giving back to the community, and this is something the girls can relate to.
What can schools do to help support students of all races?
I really think schools have got to get trained in implicit bias. There should be mandatory professional development around culture and diversity. I think they need to work on recruiting individuals with diverse backgrounds, so it’s the norm for kids to see teachers who represent different cultures. I know everybody is overwhelmed and jobs are demanding, but we really need to incorporate things not to just say we’ve checked a box.
How does it feel to be the Green Bay Packers’ first Inspire Change Changemaker Award recipient?
I really can’t believe this is my life, but I feel like I’m walking in my purpose. I just think of where we started — we started in my basement and now we’re on Lambeau Field. That’s huge. The kids and the families are what drive me to do this every day.
What do you want people to know about the girls you serve?
Don’t underestimate these girls. They have so much potential, so many skills, so many gifts and talents, and that’s what we are striving to bring out and show them that they can do anything. I’m so proud of them. A couple of them have run for student council and it’s just amazing to see them find their voice, to speak up and feel good about what they’re doing.
