She’s Pretty and Black Owned: Meet Nzingah Oniwosan

Nzingah Oniwosan is a Haitian-American wellness,holistic coach and award-winning visual artist, classically trained pianist. Her creativity is expressed through custom-made jewelry, writing, and dance. She has merged her art with healing holistically.

In 2005, she founded Sankofa™s Child. The focus is to use the arts to engage, build, inspire, and heal individuals, families, and communities. Her commitment has allowed her to work directly with well over 100,000 children and adults nationally and internationally. Her work’s impact has led to her being asked to speak and lead professional development workshops at national and international conferences.

After lessons learned from her 19-year journey to heal and thrive after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, autoimmune disorder, and polycystic ovary syndrome, 365zing, a self-care companion app, was born. 365Zing centralizes features found separately on individual apps in one place to help black women get on track with their health goals physically, mentally, and spiritually.

She has been featured in the Sun-Sentinel, Essence Magazine, Mantra Magazine, Heart Soul Magazine, Veg News, and Art & Culture Magazine. In 2015 she was one of Legacy Magazine’s 40 under 40 honorees. She has secured several grants totaling almost $100,000. Her desire to employ the arts as a tool for healing is her motivation to keep securing extraordinary grants that transform communities.

Her most recent grant is from Broward Foundation to artistically engage in the community of Pompano.

Her most recent projects include YesBabyILikeItRaw.com, a food and holistic lifestyle blog that inspires people to tap into their RAW power to be a better version of themselves. She shares articles, interviews, workshops, and retreats worldwide to help them accomplish this. She has committed to changing Haiti’s landscape in a transformative way as the co-founder of Impact Hub Port-au-Prince, a co-working space for social entrepreneurs to grow, thrive, and connect.

Nzingah is currently working in partnership with Facebook and Google to transform the lives of social entrepreneurs in Haiti.

What inspired the start of “Sankofa™s Child “?

Sankofas’s Child birthed out of my desire to celebrate the arts, culture, and learning. I was on my personal journey of self discovery and defining my life based on my dreams and aspirations based on what felt good and my soul as opposed to what everyone around me expected. I found a sweet spot where I could be a nerd, artist, educator, and forever student and Sankofa’s child was born. The name reflects that journey. Sankofa is a Ghanaian term and adinkra symbol that reminds us to look at the past to build for the future. In my journey of looking at my history it birthed who became and what I created. Hence the name Sankofa’s Child.

What has been the biggest challenge of running a brand like “Sankofa™s Child “?

The biggest challenge has been funding. A lot of the organizations we have partnered with lost funding through the years because grants towards the arts are fewer now. So we what was available 18 years ago isn’t the same. Also, because the arts are not often valued we often have to justify our costs. With that being said we have been able to work and partner with some amazing institutions.

How does ” Sankofa™s Child ” impact it’s local community?

We have been able to work directly with over quarter of million children. Through our work we have taught them how to appreciate different cultures, build their self-esteem, and help them reach milestones. We have also helped to develop programs for Broward County Schools, and the African American Research Library and Cultural Center.

You recently launched YesBabyILikeItRaw.com, can you share the work you are doing through this brand? We teach people how to have healthier lifestyles through self-care practices like yoga, meditation, cleanses, detoxes, & plant-based vegan nutrition. We have been fortunate to partner with institutions like YMCA, Miami Dade College, Little Haiti Cultural Center to bring wellness programs to the community for free.

Where do you hope to see your brand in the next 3-5 years?

Our goal is to have a healing arts center in the next few years. In this space Sankofa’s Child and Yes Baby I Like It Raw can do what it does best help people heal, create, and connect.

What advice do you have for the next generation of entrepreneurs?

There is so much I can say. I think its important that whatever space you work in that you embody what you are doing and make sure it is something you are passionate about. It will allow you to be better with your customers and more importantly it will allow you to push through on the days that the business is not at its best. More importantly, don’t forget to take care of yourself. Burnout is something we don’t really discuss in this space and it is often celebrated. However there is a space that you can take care of yourself and your business without compromising one or the other.

What does being “Pretty and Black Owned” mean to you?

Pretty is subjective Black Owned is facts.