We recently connected with Bria Virgil and have shared our conversation below.
Bria, appreciate you joining us today. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?
When joining the Miss Black International Ambassador organization, I first joined the team as a volunteer. I worked at the 2021 International Pageant as a Division Assistant. With the climate of the world, (COVID-19 pandemic) the workforce and pageant industry was shifting. Much like other organizations our founder and CEO at the time was looking to move away from her role as leader to focus on family and new endeavors. I was originally approached with the opportunity to join the team as an Assistant Executive Director, with Cierra Thompson as Executive Director at Miss Black International Ambassador. Through our first year in leadership, we restructured our model to the Co-Executive Director roles where Cierra and I hold equal responsibility and power. We felt this was a pivotal step for the organization because it built capacity, we were able to lean on each other’s specific strengths, and it model to contestants, staff, and our audience a shared power amongst black women.
Due to transitions Cierra and I had to immediately build out a new staff, organization structure, and policies and procedures. Our first year in leadership we underwent a rebrand and doubled our contestant class. Looking back on the first year, I feel that we made the right choices for the circumstances that we were facing. One thing that I wish we would have implemented earlier on is fundraising strategies.
With our leadership, Miss Black International Ambassador received a new vibe. We presented a leadership model that is transcending the gender organizing space. We also are both black women under 30, creating that relatable role model vision that we integrate in our curriculum and is a relfection of our target audience. We both also have extensive pageant careers, both as competitors and directors. The choice was right.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
About Me: Bria Virgil is a 27-year-old Black ciswoman native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She relocated to Houston, Texas summer of 2019. Bria earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a master’s degree in Public Administration, concentrating in Health Administration, both from the University of Louisiana Monroe. She founded a non-profit organization called Pretty with a Purpose which aims to empower girls through the art of pageantry.
Bria Virgil is currently the Co-Executive Director of Youth Rise Texas and has worked in the nonprofit sector as a youth and gender equity advocate since 2014. In her leisure time, Bria competes in pageants. She has a noteworthy pageantry career, including holding the inaugural national Miss Black Empowerment title and Co-Executive Director of Miss Black International Ambassador, the largest grassroots pageant for Black women. Additionally, Bria is an active member of the Houston NAACP branch and sits on the board of Generation Vote.
Ambassadors of Change (AOC) elevates Black and African descent girls and women by increasing self-efficacy, developing leaders, addressing health disparities, and advocating for equity.
Our vision is to empower Black and African descent girls and women to serve as Ambassadors of Change, where they are leaders in encouraging, empowering, and enlightening communities by building self-efficacy through leadership development training, education, health disparities research, and political organizing for racial and gender equity. We provide the tools for these women to become change agents through holistic wellness programs tailored by region centered on the Black girl and woman community. Our vision is to be a rising voice in the community and to make a transformative difference, by way of the Miss Black International Pageant, Elevated Outcomes, Youth Ambassadors Program, and Participatory Action Research.
Miss Black International Ambassador is a curriculum-based program that selects women to be Change Agents in their communities and empowers them to dedicate 365 days of support and advocacy to community issues. It is a platform for today’s savvy and woke Black women to express their viewpoints and accomplishments to the nation while offering scholarships and grants to further participants’ career goals. Long Term Goal: Providing an international platform for Black women to activate their social impact initiatives as these initiatives intersect with AOC’s mission for gender and racial equity.
Our strategies for achieving our 2024 goals are all rooted in our desire to highlight and lean into the undeniable fact that the holistic approach to black girls’ and women’s self-efficacy, is deeply rooted in the seven dimensions of wellbeing. Research shows that the balance among the seven pillars of well-being leads to a fuller, more satisfying life which is pivotal for black women who face intersectional disadvantages daily. The Seven Dimensions include Physical, Intellectual, Environmental, Vocational, Social, Emotional and Spiritual health. Imagine the impact we can make for the whole black girl and woman by way of self-efficacy maturation through the lenses of the seven dimensions of well-being.
What I am most proud of (along with the research project):
100% of our staff come from gender-oppressed and marginalized communities and identify as Black. We are an intergenerational staff, most under the age of 30, with diverse family styles who aim to escalate through our Leadership Development Pipeline.
We center on Black and African descent women, girls, and gender-expansive youth because they are the most marginalized among us and are pivotal to the movement of systematic changes needed to create equity for the Black community.
This year we are celebrating our 10th Anniversary so we invite everyone to attend pageant week events in Atlanta, GA and via our Livestream. https://www.thembiapageant.com/2023-pageant-week-info
We also actively accepting partnership and sponsorship opportunities. https://www.thembiapageant.com/partner
On the nonprofit side, we have a Call to Action for allies to join our policy alerts base. This base is critical to our participatory research project.
Join our Base: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6496389bdff3f332c5cf7e3d
More on Research https://www.canva.com/design/DAFl8MqqiHo/VrSBS5pkr_0wH2Mf96R7HQ/edit
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the biggest pivots I had to face in my career is when I became the Co-Executive Director at my full-time job, Youth Rise Texas. Youth Rise Texas supports young Texans rising from systems of oppression. Joining the team in late 2021, we were in the beginning phases of starting a leadership transition search. Youth Rise Texas has been of the past two years in this transition away from our founding Executive director, which is a move that most nonprofits struggle with. Speaking transparently our organization was struggling to find candidates that were aligned with our work both politically and culturally. 6 months (yes, 6months) into the search, my co-worker approached me with the idea of us putting out hat in the ring for the Executive Director position because our the strain the organization was in. At the time, I was 4months into being recently promoted to Director of Development and Brand Strategy, so I was not prepping to take on this role, nor was this something I strategically planned for. Coming into the organization I didn’t have intentions on becoming Co-Executive Director and was satisfied with my role and responsibilities.
I took on the role of Co-Executive Director of Youth Rise Texas in April 2021. Although it was a difficult process, it taught me how to become comfortable with discomfort and trust my instincts even if my decisions were unconventional or out of character. This experience shaped me into the leader I am today and inspired me to continue to lead in a way that is unapologetically bold, transparent, and ethical.
Part of this transition included shaping the messaging about our transition, which I took on. It was important to me for our organization to accurately represent our story, values, and mission in the messaging we presented to our board of directors, stakeholders, and funders.
I still look back and laugh at how I magically ended up being the Co-Executive Director with no additional planning. Working for an organization that prioritizes youth of color leadership, I am proud and honored to be one of the first youth leaders.
This experience taught me that I am capable of more than my initial expectations, and provided me with the confidence to take on additional roles or challenges that might be outside of my comfort zone. As Co-Executive Director I am also able to ensure our mission is being upheld in every step of the process – from communications with external partners to internal staff development initiatives, and more. I believe that my role gives me a unique opportunity to protect our values and ensure that they are seen and heard.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Overall, I recommend reading books and essays centered on the racial and gender history of your perspective field.
One of the books pivotal to my grounding in pageant work and gender equity is Black Beauties- African American Pageant Queens in the Segregated South by Kimberly Brown Pellum Ph.D. This book brings you through the history of Black pageantry and how it was used to organize in the Black community. This novel guides the ideologies of our research and political campaigns within Ambassadors of Change Inc. and Miss Black International Ambassador.
The Revolution Will Not Be Funded by INCITE! significantly shifted my views on the field of philanthropy, how it was built, and how it operates.
A novel that I refer to for women (or anyone) when navigating career decisions is Power Moves – How Women can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose by Lauren McGoodwin. This novel breaks down generational ideas and stereotypes placed on women when seeking leadership and includes stories from different female professionals on how the navigated around these barriers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ambassadorsofchangeinc.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briavirgil/ ; https://www.instagram.com/aocinc/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AOCINC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briavirgil/
- Other: www.thembiapageant.com https://www.instagram.com/mbiapageant/ https://www.instagram.com/youthrisetx/
Image Credits
Natalie Presendieu