We were lucky to catch up with Michael Nash recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I never imagined being in this position. For most people, they launch businesses with the intention of making a ton of money or to solve a major problem. For me, at 18 Years old, the main goal I had was to honor the guidance and life of my cousin, Yahfir Pettiway-Nash. The Idea of MOCA was formed from pain, tragedy, and confusion, but with the hope of creating something that would be a pillar in the community and become the sole example of what unity amongst Men of Color could look like.

I had the idea of MOCA while sitting in my dorm room after my finding out that my cousin had been gunned down in Philadelphia and I had no idea how I was going to do it, but I felt it was my responsibility to do this. While others were dealing with the emotional aspect of the situation, I was planning the “Get Back” in my head. At a young age, I recognized that nothing comes to anyone who reacts out of emotion. The funny part is I always had an idea of doing something for the community, but never had my purpose until that very moment.

For the next days, I planned out my path. I wrote down all my ideas and started thinking of all the programs that could have saved my cousin from his situation. I channeled my pain and turned it into purpose. Every day I obsessed over how to take this idea to the next level and how I could inspire people around me to join me in this movement that I seeked to create.

As a 18 year old kid dealing with real life trauma, I knew no other way to push forward than to work and build something that helped me understand the equity gaps of the world.

The day I seen my cousin in the casket, I told myself that this “idea” of MOCA was more than just that. It was a solution to heal the world, my family, and everyone close to me. I cried most of those nights, wondering why this was my reality, but instead of sitting in my emotions, I would pick up my phone and get to work. I would research how organizations become legit, how people turned pain to purpose, how could I get more involved–I became obsessed with proving to everyone that there were in fact gaps in the system and this idea I had was the solution.

I started recruiting the best of the best on-campus and told everyone about my idea. I told everyone about my cousin Yah-Yah and the empire that I wanted to build in his honor. I wrote everything down and made a list of everything I wanted to accomplish over the next 4 years.

Without any blueprint and/or plan, MOCA became a reality by just having faith and the will to channel my pain into some form of meaningful purpose.

The first thing I did after hearing the news of tradegy was resort to the one thing that keep me sane: My Journal (aka my iphone notes).

I wrote down several concepts, but none of them seemed to stick until something in my heart told me to just build it and watch the people come. It seems like I always had the intention of launching this into something beyond an idea, but everything came together

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Michael Nash, and I am a Social Entrepreneur who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer/President of The Men of Color Alliance Inc. A 501c3 based out of New Jersey. Our organization specializes in bringing retention, resources, and visibility to Men of Color in Higher Education and beyond.

I came into the space of Education and Mentorship through my College Experience. Through the growth of our organization, I fell in love with Entrepreneurship and the art of assisting my community through systemic barriers. Our non-profit works to solve community-based problems that are prevalent among Males of Color in Generation Z. We work tirelessly to debunk negative stereotypes and showcase the excellence that resides in our community.

I believe that our work stands alone because we represent the exact generation we are working towards empowering and changing. We have experienced the same trials and tribulations that our community is currently experiencing. Therefore, we clearly understand what we need and have worked tirelessly to find solutions. This has put us in a position to have our hand on the pulse of change. MOCA always seeks to be innovative and relevant, especially with the emergence of various industries and ideologies. Our curriculum and thought process reflects our experimentation! This mentality has created a movement that empowers males of color to be leaders and see themselves as whatever their imagination wants.

This work is not only fulfilling, but one of the things that I am the proudest of was our ability to create a culture and mindset that reflects what it truly means to be a young, male of color in America. Our community is strong, and our members wear MOCA with pride. I love our ability to be a team and move as a unit, rather than individuals.

I want potential followers to know that I am not only a servant leader, but I am someone that lives a life fueled by vision and purpose. I seek to be a change agent and use my story to empower those around me. Add value and create something that can make the world better! My brand is built around looking beyond your circumstances and creating the life that you believe you deserve, despite your beginnings.

I believe that I have been selected to be a gap-filler and be the voice of my generation by creating community and opportunities. This mindset has helped me not only launch our Non-Profit, but it has played a significant role in my external business ventures in the space of Life & Business Coaching. I truly am inspired by all walks of life and seek to bring power and value wherever I go.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up in the Black Community, you are always told to keep your business to yourself. Throughout my journey, I have always struggled with sharing my experiences and stories. This mindset put me in tight positions during my educational experience, but I quickly learned that there is power in your story. Once I became comfortable sharing my failures and things that I struggled with, I began to receive more opportunities.

There is truly power in resilience and people are truly inspired by what individuals overcome to achieve their goals. Being someone who is extremely ambitious, I always wanted to be perfect in every way, but I quickly learned that nothing comes to anyone who does not give themselves grace and speak up! The saying, “Closed mouths do not get fed” is true.

I encourage anyone who is struggling with advocating for themselves to speak out and connect with people–you never know who you are talking to and how someone can relate to the matters you are dealing with internally.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

To this day, a story that always keeps me motivated throughout my journey is how I navigated the loss of 3 family members in a one-year span.

During my first year of college, I experienced a traumatic event that resulted in the death of my cousin, Yahfir. This was not only my first-time experiencing grief at that level, but also forced me to address the realities of the world. Amid my grieving process, I was also getting adjusted to being away from family and being new to college. I constantly tried to wrap my mind around how this could happen and what systems were put in place to aid my process–this inspired me to start our organization, MOCA. I constantly pushed myself to get to a level of success that my cousin would be proud of.

As soon as I came to grips with my cousin’s passing, my mother was experiencing turmoil in her personal life, which resulted in me taking a bigger role in my family and balancing school, personal life, and now, an upstart organization. Right when my mother was able to leave the situation and find peace, we found out that my aunt had passed away, to make matters worse, exactly 5 days before my mom’s birthday.

This put me in a tough situation because I had a decision to make–either sit in my grief again or chase the version of myself that all my late relatives said I was watering down. So, I pushed forward and continued to build the organization despite the pain. I worked tirelessly to give my mom something that she could find peace in and live up to my aunt’s last words, “Keep going. Get the grades right and keep being one!”. I believed I had an obligation to be successful in this college experience and take advantage of everything!

While dealing with 2 losses, our family then received news that the matriarch in our family was falling into hospice care. My Great-Grandmother was sick, and she was the one who always ensured I had confidence in myself. She fought a long battle but transitioned at the end of my junior year in 2020.

While this story occurred over a one-year time frame, it taught me the importance of resilience and grit. Learning to find another feeling deep within yourself and putting all your energy into your purpose. My one goal has always been to make those individuals proud and keep being the leader that they told me I am. This is what fueled my journey and I hope this inspires someone to prevail through the concrete. Turn your pain to purpose!

This helped me jump off the porch and recognize that the goal in life is to stay motivated and make those who came before you proud!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vissionary.mike/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikecrombie.nash/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldnashii

Image Credits

Naledge L. Brown, @powwar_shot
Kevin Milligan-Tinker, @millimoments
Naheem Saulters, @shotby.heem