Meet Katrina Hobbs Everett

We recently connected with Katrina Hobbs Everett and have shared our conversation below.

Katrina, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

My journey started with a pretty lonely path. Growing up in a predominately White community, in a small town (now city) there were not many people that looked like me and my family. I was the only student of color in my entire school from 2nd grade until 5th grade, and from kindergarten to 1st grade the only other kid of color that I recall was my sibling. I had mostly kind peers who welcomed me and I didn’t truly notice I was much different than any one else until 3rd grade. It was in 3rd grade that I had my first radicalized experience. Where I liked a boy and asked my friend to ask him out for me- and his response was that he could not date me because I was Black. While I did not understand at the time what that meant, I remember to this day how sad it made me feel. The first time I was called the n-word was that same year, by someone who I had previously considered a friend, and who was also my neighbor. Clearly I was different… I met my first non-white friend in 5th grade. The first person outside of my family that looked kind-of like me. She was much lighter, and her mother was White – but she had hair like mine and the moment we met an instant friendship was formed. We are still friends today, some 30 plus years later. Being the only brown student wasn’t the only way I stood out as a child. My father was a Pentecostal Minister and it seems everyone else was Catholic. My parents were also about 20 years older than my peers, my mom had me at 43 (number 10 of 13 children). To make matters worse, I was an extreme introvert with a boy-ish look and buck-teeth. I was extremely self-conscious, and I danced between being invisible and wishing to disappear most of the time.

However, being the only for so long equipped me with what would become my superpower. The ability to observe. To quietly take everything in and the gift of noticing things I think many folks overlooked. These skills would serve me well as I grew up and found myself often being the only one in the room, on the leadership team, on the committee, on the board, in the class, etc. that looked like me. What I learned over the years, that no one seemed to do for me, is the importance of making space for others. I have spent my entire career, listening people towards wellness, and sometimes even listening folks back to life. Encouraging and supporting youth, women in recovery, adults with developmental disabilities, pregnant and parenting teens, women returning to society after years of incarceration, youth who were incarcerated behind the wall, youth that have been trafficked abused and abandoned, and programs working with undocumented minors who were vulnerable to unimaginable danger. My career in human services, social work and community engagement refined these skills and led me to understand the power I held to help folks heal. To invite folks who have been othered – in, and to provide an atmosphere where they can be nourished and grow in their sense of self. This to me is the essence of true community. Community for me is now a way of life. It has become my personal mission and motto to “constantly cultivate community”. To make space for the quiet kid, to notice the subtle movements in someone’s face when they want talk but might be concerned about what other’s would say- and invite them into the conversation. I curate spaces today as a facilitator, educator, and artist for folks to be seen and heard. Spaces of inclusion and connection. Spaces I wish I had growing up, to feel how I always longed to feel- a part of – to feel connected and that sense of belonging.

I carry this superpower now into every room I enter, especially where I am the only one that looks like me. Like at City Hall, where I serve as a newly elected City Councilor – becoming the first woman of color and 1st Black woman ever elected onto the City Council in Haverhill’s History. It was the same tools that helped me grow in my career, that helped me get elected, my ability to connect with people in a real and authentic way. That skill of listening and being in tune with the needs of my community. I may be the only one that looks like me on the council but I can’t tell you the joy I feel knowing that a little girl like the younger 3rd grade me could walk down the hallway on the 2nd floor of City Hall and in a sea of faces that look nothing like hers- she will see 1 brown face that does. This is what inspires me. The hope that 1 can lead to 2, and that little shy girls, buck tooth kids, little brown girls, and all kids (and adults) that feel awkward or different, that feel alone or wish they were invisible at times, might see themselves in me and be motivated to pursue their own dream. To envision what is not there and endeavor to make it possible.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Outside of serving on the City Council, I consider myself a community enthusiast. As a consultant in this space I welcome the opportunity to help build a stronger sense of connectivity and community in any atmosphere. Be it a church, friend group, book club, individual school, school district, an institute of higher learning, small business, large corporate, nonprofit, committee, board, city, state, or federal entity, I live for creating transformational learning spaces that foster places of belonging. Even if folks are looking for help along their own path of personal self-development, or along their inclusion journey, I am here to walk alongside them, and to guide them into deeper self-reflective growth and greater inclusive practices.

Here is my brief bio:
Kat is a constructive deconstructionist, anti-racist, educator, entrepreneur, curator, advocate, writer, and spoken word artist. A Senior level Executive with over 25-years of refined experience in the human/social services field working in a variety of professional settings and levels including grassroots organizations, city, state, and federal entities, public k-12 schools, public and private higher education institutions. Kat has 14-years of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging (DEIJB) education experience, and extensive community engagement expertise working in and with diverse communities. She is killed in innovative approaches and transformative interdisciplinary pedagogy, with experience working with cross-sector teams locally, nationally, and globally. Kat’s is an ardent speaker whose specialty topic areas include; leadership, faith & spirituality, human sexuality, empathy, trauma, addictions, education, mental health, family & community engagement, youth work, social justice education, training, and connectivity. Kat Co-Founded Power of Self-Education (POSE) Inc. a community engagement & advocacy nonprofit whose mission is “to inspire people and mobilize resources to strengthen communities” which she ran for 12 years serving the Merrimack Valley, Boston, and Chicago. She is the Founder and CEO of Everetts Enterprise LLC and Kateverett.com a certified black owned /woman owned business that provides large and small-scale consulting, coaching and facilitation services to assist with transformative culture shifting in an effort to foster places of belonging. Kat is Founder, curator and owner of COCO Brown, a cultural community healing center, studio & co-working space that uses the mediums of art, music, storytelling, and movement to strengthen community relationships. She is also an Adjunct Instructor teaching in a Social Justice program at a private liberal arts college. Kat ‘s personal mission statement is to “Constantly Cultivate Community”.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey were:
1. Imagination – the ability to tap into and reclaim child-like creative immigration has been critical for me in unlocking my full potential and breaking out of old patterns and push past personal and professional boundaries that had become barriers. Vision is so important, and we can’t do that without envisioning- which comes from our imagination and creativity.
2. Culture – Because I grew up fragmented from my ethnic cultural heritage, I do believe something was missing that I did not know was missing until I had encountered it. A trip to New Orleans changed my life forever. Hearing from the matriarchs of the lower 9th ward and being surrounded by ancestry, art, music and strong bonds of community awakened something ancestral in me. Church culture, black culture, New England culture, ancestral culture, biblical culture- all of these feed me now and they do not compete with each other. I think being rooted in culture, history, and ancestry can be very powerful.
3. Failure/humility – The last thing is humility. My late father Bishop Franklin W Hobbs, always said “meekness is not weakness, it is strength under control”. I believe this to be true. Failure has taught me humility, and while I don’t believe in losses- only lessons, I do believe failure is a valuable teacher. Learning to accept failure not as a loss but as part of the process has been a game changer for me. It frees me to risk more and dream bigger. As my StartingBloc family says it’s about “failing epically”. It also helps you become more fluent in apology languages. The world could always use more folks willing to be humble.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents have done for me, was to teach me about God and let me see their love for Jesus and each other. My father passed at 87 years old and my parents were married for 65 years. My mom is currently 86 and her advice is always to seek God 1st. This has proven to be the most valuable lesson as well. The power of prayer, listening to the Holy Spirit, and the significance of reading my Bible has saved me in more ways than one (and more times that I’d like to admit). The reality that as long as I have breath in my lungs – I have the chance to do better, has been a literal lifeline for me. One that I will always be grateful for. The love my parents had for each other and for community is a core value that I hold sacred and try my best to honor in my own marriage and in my service to the community.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Head shot- Jenn Mcgee Photography

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