Newtown Allies for Change (NAFC) acknowledges Nicole Powers of Blue Sky Designs for Allyship in Action. Each month, NAFC recognizes community members whose actions embody what it means to be an ally to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

For multiple years, NAFC hosted Allies in Education in recognition of local educators, and Powers has been a generous sponsor.

When she presented her donation for the awards in 2022, she had these words: “Sky Blue Designs creates handmade jewelry using beads from the USA and around the world. We were appalled to learn that students at Newtown schools are the targets of racial slurs. We are sponsoring a teacher to purchase materials for their classroom on diversity, equity, and inclusion to help the next generation better understand the history of racism and its effects that continue today. Then we can all live up to our motto, ‘Be Kind.’”

Powers has been on a learning path with Newtown Allies for Change since the organization’s beginning, shortly after the murder of George Floyd and others shocked our nation.

“It was so horrible, and I felt like I needed to do something. NAFC has helped me educate myself on the impact of racism in our country and our town, and how to become anti-racist,” said Powers.

Many public incidents of racial violence spurred people to develop an awareness of the prevalence of racism. Nicole continued why she felt it was important to become involved in this work, “Racism has been a systemic issue in our country for centuries, from housing inequity to the education system. The only way to change the system is for one individual at a time to learn, grow, enact change, and share knowledge with the next individual.”

On her journey of learning, Powers has been inspired by books including White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, the 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, and How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith.

“Being a space and science nerd, I especially liked the film Hidden Figures," said Powers. "And the PBS television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has revealed the ‘brick wall’ time and time again when it comes to genealogy of enslaved people and not being able to trace ancestors past the 1860 census.”

Powers’ backing of the Allies in Education events has had a positive impact in supporting allies whose goal is to make Newtown a safer and welcoming place for all. In describing what allyship means to her, Powers stated, “When an ally sees racism in any form, they need to call it out. Challenge societal norms. Make the person explain it. Present a different view. Share newfound knowledge. Practice so you know how to respond ahead of time.”

Newtown Allies For Change is a grassroots organization that centers BIPOC in Newtown. Each month they hope to honor individuals or businesses that have demonstrated selfless, authentic allyship. If there is an individual or business that you would like to nominate for Allyship In Action, please email your submission with the name and why they are deserving of a shoutout to newtownallies@gmail.com with Allyship In Action as the subject.