Reverend Nell Green shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Nell, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I love to kayak, particularly river kayaking though I enjoy some ocean kayaking. There is something about the sound of the water, the steady strokes, navigating some rapids, bird watching, and experiencing nature that soothes me and refreshes me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I have worked cross-culturally both here and abroad as a minister for forty years. My children were raised overseas. Upon our return to West Africa in 2015 with our daughter, she had the idea of starting a business. Most of my experience has been working with refugees and other displaced people. Her experience is in communications, marketing, and retail. I am also a seamstress. She had the idea to begin a clothing design business. She would design and market. I would hire and work with refugees to create our designs. As a public speaker, I would also work to raise awareness about displacement.
We began in Houston, Texas with Threads by Nomad in 2016 and hired a tailor from Iraq. He had been working at a car wash. After three years we began the non-profit, The Off Ramp. Threads is for-profit, but the nature of working with refugees is that many areas of need do not fit with a for-profit business. Having both a for-profit and a non-profit allows us to meet needs holistically and with dignity.
The pandemic changed many things for us as it did for others. My husband took early retirement and we relocated to the East Coast.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I will never forget in 1987 landing in West Africa and witnessing true poverty for the first time. It was unavoidable. It confronted me as soon as I stepped off the plane. It bruised my heart each time I opened my door. I began to understand why people leave their homes. It is not because they want to, but because they need to survive. I began to understand displacement.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
We had been living overseas for about twenty years. At the time we were living in Europe working among refugees and immigrants. I was very tired after two decades of non-stop work among the displaced or those in danger of displacement. I just wanted to go home and stop.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
When the executive order suspending refugee resettlement was issued in January, we were in the application process to sponsor two refugee households: a family of four and a single man. The process was almost completed. We were waiting on plane tickets for the family and a medical interview for the single man. The process abruptly halted. We were committed to helping these refugees. The family was eventually relocated to another country, but the single man still lived in a dangerous situation. Since January, we have been working on and seeking possible relocations for him. We have supported and remained committed until he can be relocated. We have made progress and we hope by the end of the year he will be relocated to a place of safety where he can build his life. The reason for enterprises like Threads by Nomad and The Off Ramp is so business can be a source of social and community good.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I have been working among the impoverished, the marginalized, the displaced, and the neglected for forty years. I have never wanted to do anything else. I feel extremely fortunate to have had a career that has been fulfilling. I have two maxims that summarize how I have approached my career and whatever legacy I may leave. “It is not about you or me. It is about you and me.” And “Do for one what you wish you could do for all.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.threadsbynomad.com and www.theofframp.org
- Instagram: @threadsbynomad and @theofframp_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threadsbynomad/ and https://www.facebook.com/theofframphtx/
Image Credits
Sabrina Fields Photography
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