Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Sasso.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My family came to America in the late 1960s, settling in Washington, DC. That included my maternal grandmother, grandfather and their son, Sahr – all on the strength of my grandpa’s student visa. My Grandmother had dreams!!! She worked relentlessly to make the American dream come to fruition by owning an African doll business that landed in the Smithsonian – all the while managing Project housing in the city.
She was busy getting us in “Formation” long before Beyonce did. The Projects raised her children and grandchildren not by choice, but as a way of life! As my grandmother eloquently describes in my film, “Am I: Too African to be American or Too American to be African?,” my Mother chose the African way, which for her meant culture, tradition, and family meanwhile the boys wanted the American way, as they perceived it, which meant freedom and that freedom led to drugs and prison. Hence, As first-generation American and the 1st grandchild of 11, growing up in Washington DC and Prince George’s County, MD I was no stranger to the streets and the books as well. As a matter of fact, I like to think my street smarts got me further in life than academics.
When I finally left the DMV environment (DC. MD, VA) to attend my first PWI (Predominantly White Institution) it shocked me to the core. Imagine someone spinning you on a merry go round then abruptly – stopping. That was exactly how I felt attending Bucknell University. I remember crying in my bright pink and orange dorm, about being teased because I spoke with a DC twang, which some may refer to Ebonics. What I felt was that I wasn’t black enough to be radical, I wasn’t smart enough to belong, and worst of all, my integrity was often questioned. Nonetheless, I went on to graduate from Bucknell University with my Bachelors in English and Sociology (Culture & Media Studies), Lehigh University with my Masters in American Studies and Certification in Documentary Film and just recently graduated as the first cohort from Cornell University to acquire a Ph.D. in Africana Studies.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The kicker to everything I just mentioned was while I was following the pursuits of academia and entrepreneurship, my siblings and cousins were facing the ramifications of what it meant to be Black and a Black statistic in America. To offer a bit more clarity, while I get to be in class, go on a national film tour, and run a t-shirt company, being apart of my family also requires that I care for my parents one of whom suffers from Kidney failure, raise my niece (whom both parents are incarcerated), answer collect calls from jail, and live utterly in two different realms. Living in these two utterly different worlds leaves me with a lot of responsibility both financially and physically.
Raising my niece in a non-traditional manner has changed my life tremendously. She came into my life when I needed reassurance from all that I had going on. We call here Juju, which ironically is what they call black magic in West Africa. Nonetheless, she is definitely the epitome of Black Girl Magic as she passionately dances to what she believes is her personal theme song “Juju on That Beat.” We have each other’s back in terms of building confidence and being role models for each other. With therapy, she has come to be a brutally honest and wise little person. Although sometimes life seemed impossible especially financially because I was a student, I would be sure to do it all over again.
With all that said, I am proud of my family’s legacy, the good the bad and the ugly. Although our lives are more of a dream deferred, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I live by the motto: “Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I am always on a different path from those around me but I have managed to use my life experiences to create dynamic media projects and inspire others to ”own their story” because true emancipation comes with owning our narratives in the realms of lifestyle, entrepreneurship, and culture.
Please tell us about Nadia Marie & Co.
My business is cemented in me being a creative producer, unconventional scholar, and optimistic human that believes everyone should tell and own their story. I bring thought-provoking stories to life through a range of diverse and content-driven initiatives from media production and events to writing and research. I offer consultation services as a creative and expert in these areas in hopes of inspiring many to take action.
Most recently, I partnered with five women of color including Paige S Wilson (Photographer), Christine Thomas (Stylist and Designer, Mahriama Suma (Designer), Tea Carter (Hair), and Mara Guijarro (Makeup) to curate #13AlbumsTo31, an Instagram photo series, and visual walk down memory lane, right into my 31st year. I created #13AlbumsTo31 to not only tell a story of my journey to 31, but as an embodiment of success, patriarchy, feminism, and entrepreneurship. My goal with the campaign is to inspire people to embrace who they are no matter how multidimensional they are.”
With the campaign, I recreated iconic album covers from the year 2000 to 2018. With each cover, I tell a story of how the album affected me, and where I was when it was released. Starting with Rah Digga’s debut album “Dirty Harriet” and ending with Summer Walker’s 2019 release “Over It”, the revelatory captions that accompany each post take a deep dive into the impact of the respective albums, and have garnered a tremendous response from followers who can relate to the nostalgia. One particular post caught the eye of Grammy Award winner, India Arie, who reposted my remake of her 2006 album “Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship”.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
As kids, we would go on vacation but it was always somewhere driveable. This particular year, I was over the road trips and wanted to actually stay home. Around 10 pm we loaded the car with all of the suitcases and literally drove around for 6 hours. I fell asleep in the first hour and I assumed we would be going to VA beach. Instead, when we woke up, we were in Washington, DC and I was so confused and frustrated. Before we could start whining my dad was like I know we are in DC but there are some rules for this vacation. We cannot use the car to go anywhere, we can’t go anywhere we have ever been to before and we can only eat foods we have never tried. Initially, I was not sold but by the end of the weekend, I felt like I had discovered a new city and it was actually one of our best vacations. My parents had a way of taking the lemons of life and making lemonade.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nadiamariesasso.com
- Phone: 2132930119
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
SHAYAN ASGHARNIA – black and white Outfit @shayanhathaway; Album Covers – Paige S Wilson @paigeswilson
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