Mission
The San Diego Black Worker Center is a home for Black people to build Black Power and create their own seats at the table.
The SDBWC mission is to build a more equitable economy for Black workers across the diaspora and to advance the Black Worker Justice Movement! The SDBWC will organize people power, improve job quality through policy advocacy and fight for workers’ rights!
San Diego Black Worker Center Purpose
Organize • Advocate • Engage
Our History
Over a decade ago, Doug Moore, the Executive Director of United Domestic Workers (UDW), had a vision of bringing a Black Worker Center to San Diego. When the opportunity presented itself, Mr. Moore brought leaders from the National Black Worker Center to San Diego to begin meeting with local leaders in the Black community to discuss potential goals for Black Worker Center in San Diego County. The labor movement is strengthened and emboldened by every Black worker leader that enters the struggle for worker rights, Doug Moore is one of those leaders. As a union of people of color, UDW fights for the issues that impact the most vulnerable communities and has stood up for worker rights including the Black worker justice movement! With UDWs initial support, the SDBWC was able to take it’s first steps by housing and coordinating a steering committee consisting of local, multifaceted Black professionals in the public and private sectors for the purpose of creating a Black worker center centered in building power through organizing Black workers and building an equitable economy for Black People.
Our Vision
The San Diego Black Worker Center aims to improve Black lives within the workforce by focusing on developing and accessing quality jobs. By addressing discrimination in the workplace and redefining the meaning and possibilities of an equitable economy, San Diego will build new layers of Black power.
The San Diego Black Worker Center will build a movement of Black workers who will be a voice in San Diego on economic and political issues. We will organize and partner with Black community members across all sectors because we believe our greatest strength arises when we work together. The Black community plays a key role in opening doors for transformative justice and through the advocacy of Black workers’ rights we will find solutions to create an equitable San Diego.
The Center will create a space to assist the Black community in obtaining economic justice for themselves and their families. Taking a holistic approach, the San Diego Black Worker Center will address the economic and political issues that impact the Black community. The San Diego Black Worker Center will support members of the African diaspora, its descendants, immigrants1, and collective communities who reside in San Diego in reaching economic equality, quality job access, career advancement, and social gains.
The San Diego Black Worker Center will provide socio-econmic liberation and power through skills development, legislation tracking and overall advocacy to prevent racial discrimination in hiring and other employment practices and policies by disseminating worker-related information communitywide. The Center will help build Black economics, employment, liberation, power,and respect.
Our Partner & Fiscal Sponsor
The Center on Policy Initiatives
The Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI) is the proud fiscal sponsor of the SDBWC, as well as a member of the Advisory Board. The SDBWC Steering Committee chose CPI to house the SDBWC in its early stages based on CPI's status as a trusted partner in the San Diego region with a long history of advocating for working people. CPI has expertise in leading multi-issue coalitions, supports innovations in the social justice movement infrastructure, produces community-centered research, and has a track record of effective and strategic communications. Serving as the SDBWC’s fiscal sponsor is part of CPI’s commitment to strengthening the infrastructure for worker organizing and centering the voices of oppressed peoples, including Black communities, in the San Diego region.
CPI is a research and action institute dedicated to creating economic prosperity, sustainable communities, and a healthy environment for all. CPI was founded in 1997 to address the root causes of inequality and advance policies to create a more equitable San Diego region. CPI is a pillar organization in San Diego providing research and analysis, policy solutions, popular education, leadership development, and building coalitions that advance social and economic justice, giving voice to working families. To learn more about CPI and the amazing work they do in the community, visit www.cpisandiego.org.
Our Staff
BRISA L. JOHNSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Born and raised in San Diego, Brisa completed an Associate’s Degree in Black Studies from San Diego Community College District, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Point Loma Nazarene University.
Previously working as the Civic Engagement Manager for Alliance San Diego, a community organization that builds coalitions to promote justice and social change, she ran large-scale voter engagement field programs winning six progressive policy battles and assisted in registering over 3,500 people in the County of San Diego.
She later became the Civic Engagement Manager Statewide for, United Domestic Workers, the Homecare Providers Union, engaging and training union members throughout California on Civic Engagement strategies, while educating Member voters on local and State campaigns. In addition to her work in Civic Engagement, she has spearheaded the creation of the San Diego Black Worker Center in partnership with United Domestic Workers, bringing together a Steering Committee consisting of local, multifaceted Black professionals in the public and private sectors for the purpose of creating the San Diego Black worker Center.
In addition to her role as the Director of the San Diego Black Worker Center, she currently serves as Board Member for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, an organization empowering job seekers to meet the current and future workforce needs of employers in San Diego.
Separately from her career in the Social Justice field, she is the lead singer of San Diego’s award-winning band The Lyrical Groove and has wrote and produced her own solo project titled “In Her Stillness…” . Lastly, she is the Mother of a young King named Josiah Rai, who has kept her extremely grounded.
ERYN WILSON NIEVES, LEAD PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Eryn Wilson Nieves was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA but has always had deep roots in San Diego. As a Black woman and first generation American born to an immigrant mother, she carries her culture and lived experiences throughout her work, using them as her guiding light to social change.
After returning to San Diego in 2012 from New Orleans, where she attended an HBCU, Eryn became a canvasser at Alliance San Diego, speaking to residents about the separation of families due to deportation. As a recuring canvasser she gained knowledge of San Diego's political landscape and experience in organizing BIPOC communities. This set the stage for Eryn to work her way up to Alliance San Diego’s Civic Engagement Program Director and Redistricting Lead. In this position, Eryn was the voice of the organization at national, statewide, and local coalitions representing issues ranging from voting and policing to tax and education equity while also leading several successful voter education and issue advocacy field programs.
In her Redistricting Lead role, Eryn participated in several statewide tables responsible for educating and engaging community members in the redistricting process. Most importantly, she was San Diego's co-lead for the Black Census and Redistricting HUB, which was responsible for creating, sustaining, and increasing Black empowerment districts across California. She also sat on and co-convened local tables, drawing local district maps, monitoring and presenting at commission meetings.
Eryn also spent time in her professional career at the County of San Diego as a Field Representative for Chair Nathan Fletcher. She harnessed her organizing background to connect black people, businesses, and programs to resources and funding available to bridge the economic success gap in our region. She is responsible for creating and facilitating the first Black/African American Advisory Council meeting for Supervisorial district 4.
Outside of her activism, Eryn is a wife and mother to two beautiful children, who motivate her to continue pushing for racial and economic equity. She is also a foodie, who proclaims food as her second love and enjoys going to new restaurants on her free time.
NYLA BAXTER-WILLIAMSON, ORGANIZER
Nyla Baxter-Williamson was born and raised in San Diego with familial ties to Tennessee. She discovered her passion for serving her community from her involvement as a high school intern at the ACLU-SDIC and volunteering with San Diego Refugee Tutoring. She has a deep commitment to advocacy and education.
In her time at UCLA she received her B.A. with a major in Gender Studies and minor in Global Studies. Her passion for organizing by is reflected through her student involvements. Nyla's position with Social Justice Advocates allowed her to facilitate trainings and workshops to advocate for diverse social justice causes within the residential campus community. Furthering her commitment to community empowerment, Nyla served as the Outreach Coordinator for IMHOME. She helped facilitate a tutoring program for students and life skills workshops for parents at a transitional housing shelter for mothers in Los Angeles.
Nyla is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and previously served as the Recording and Financial Secretary for Pi Chapter.
After her undergraduate studies, Nyla remained dedicated to education, serving as a homeschool teacher, tutor, and program facilitator for an afterschool workforce development initiative in Imperial County, using STEM to illuminate career pathways for K-8 students. She currently serves on the board of Our Genetic Legacy, a drone training program empowering Black and Brown teenage girls in San Diego to become digital historical preservationists.
Outside of her community engagements, Nyla finds joy in tending to her garden, baking from scratch, and exploring pottery. She spends her free time traveling to new countries and going to brunch with her family and friends.
