We met with Encampment alum Nzingha Primus (2013+), who told us a bit about her current work and reflected on her EFC experience.
What you are working on? From last summer until now, I’ve directed two commercials through my alumni film organization, the Ghetto Film School (GFS). They partnered with another organization, WOC Star, that helps business owners/entrepreneurs. This program partnership is backed by Walmart. GFS would facilitate partnering a filmmaker with an entrepreneur from WOC Star and we would work with them as filmmakers on a pitch presentation that we would end up showing to the producers to get greenlit for starting production.
The first time, I was partnered with a woman who has a company for loc haircare products. We did a founder story with her, along with interviews with people who had locs talking about their hair journeys. The second time, I was partnered with two sisters who started a juicing company. We did a fitness commercial in a park, juicing demos from their menu, and an interview with each sister about their health goals.
Through the Ghetto Film School, I’ve also had the opportunity to work as a production assistant intern on a Disney film that was filming here in NY! It’s called “Better Nate Than Ever,” but sadly. it was taken off Disney Plus.
Last fall, I also worked as a stage manager for an educational showcase event at Carnegie with an organization called Oye Group. They’re based in the Ridgewood/Bushwick area of Brooklyn. That led to working with them currently as the company’s production manager. We’ve held multiple events throughout this year and our final culminating event will be at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in December for a week, as part of “New Wave.”
I also do part-time work at a food pantry for college students in the East Village, where I typically check students in for their appointments on our spreadsheet, introduce newcomers to the space, and write the monthly newsletter.
What did you learn at the Encampment? Leadership is the most obvious, and I’m still working on it at times. As a filmmaker, especially when I’m directing, people look to me to be a leader.
Also, self-confidence and self-esteem. There’s an older YouTube on the EFC page where you can see that I did not feel comfortable in my skin — not shy, but a little withdrawn. Since then, I’ve been able to metaphorically spread my wings a bit. I feel more comfortable in interactions with people.
That summer was a start of transformation for me. I did the Encampment, then I came home and did an arts program at DreamYard Art Center that I continued to do after school through high school. Through the Encampment and DreamYard, I was able to come into myself as a person and build community.
How has the Encampment influenced your life? I’m more connected to social justice movements, for sure. I’m always thinking about the Encampment in the back of my head when I’m involved in movement meetings or protests. I’m very aware of the dynamics and the players. When I see younger folks there, I think it would be really great if they could go to the Encampment. For instance, along with leadership skills, I learned about how to be with conflict — the Encampment prepared me for some of these events by the process where we debated different topics together. It’s not the same because at the Encampment you are living with everyone and seeing them every day versus seeing people at events, but it’s similar. It’s important to learn how to address issues – not going for the jugular and not side-stepping issues because you don’t want to confront them, either.
Also, being able to come home and connect with one of the older alums: Jason Warwin (92CA), who is a co-founder of The Brotherhood Sister Sol, made me feel a continuation of the Encampment connection. He’s also connected with people I work with on the arts side, so it’s a cool combination of arts and activism.
Why is the EFC important now? There’s always social injustice happening and social movements happening. I think we are seeing more young people — teenagers and younger — who want to know how they can help. They are thirsty for knowledge and thirsty to connect with their peers. They have some resources, like social media and maybe people in their community. For some people, social media is the only way since seeing people in person and having places to hang out is really hard nationwide for teenagers. The Encampment provides the space for them to learn history, to learn how to organize, and to go back into their communities and implement what they are learning. It’s more important now than ever, when we are seeing so much craziness.
We need the Encampment. People are looking for leaders and they are looking for community. The Encampment provides that.
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Richmond Slave Trail
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2013
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2013 Visit with Eleanor Holmes Norton
What field trips do you remember? In 2013, we were on the Richmond Slave Trail — the route they took to the auction market when they came off the boat. We were all holding hands and walking together with closed eyes. The guides suggested that we close our eyes because the slaves were usually brought in at night. I was trying to take in the environment without being able to see and relying on the people near me to guide me. It was a bit scary not to know where we were going. After we got back to campus, we had a moment to go to our rooms. When I joined the circle, it was completely quiet. We had our heads down, crying, and the feeling was solemn. A staff member asked a question to guide us to talk about the experience. It took a minute to be able to express ourselves. We were in our heads, trying to figure out how to express what we felt. One of the Encampers, Levi, talked about how angry he felt.
We also went to visit alum Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (57NY) in her Washington, DC, office. We didn’t get a chance to sit down because she was working, but she talked about her EFC experience and we took a photo together. It was exciting to see that an EFC alum was someone in a government position. I’d love to be able to talk with her more. When I got back home, I met Gale Brewer (68MT), then Manhattan Borough President, who is now a New York City Councilmember. That was another point of connection.
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Pacific Garden Shelter
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Nzingha's 2014 Workshop Group
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Indigenous and Black Elders Meeting
In 2014, in Chicago, we visited civil rights activist Father Michael Phleger of Santa Sabina Parish. We met with local African-American and Indigenous elders at Glorianne’s community center and shared a meal. We worked with the Shedd Aquarium on an environmental service project, cleaning out trash and learning about the ecosystem of Lake Michigan. We also worked at a homeless shelter, making beds and helping in the soup kitchen. For me, this expanded on the moment in 2013 when we donated our lunch leftovers. I put myself in their shoes while I was making beds. After the Encampment, I ended up volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
What motivated you to go to the Encampment? My cousin Jason Neal (91CA) recruited me by talking about the Encampment. The next year, he did a pancake fundraiser to help young people get to the Encampment.
When you arrived, what was your first impression of the Encampment? I took the bus down with two young men from Long Island: Kenny and Cameron. It was dark when we got there and we walked into the common room and there were lots of teenagers there, and I felt lost for a minute. We were the last group to come in. It felt like everyone else had gotten acclimated and I was trying to find my footing. That lasted for the first day. This was the first Encampment after a 16-year hiatus, so we were all trying to find our footing. What shifted was all of us figuring everything out together. I left feeling so safe that I didn’t want to leave. I had had a hard time in my first two years of high school and I didn’t feel connected to my peers. The Encampment gave me that community. When I went home, I made more of an effort to connect.
What topic did you spend the most time on at the Encampment? In 2013, we had a lot of Indigenous Encampers and it was interesting to learn about Indigenous history and what it’s like to live on a reservation.
In 2014, because of where we were, [we talked about] gun violence and how it affects kids. It was not the topic of the Encampment, but it was an issue that came up a lot.
In 2016, again, this wasn’t an official topic, but I really enjoyed these workshops: We had Anika Nailah for a writing workshop; we had Mabel Picotte for Indigenous storytelling; Michael Carter focused on music.
How did Encamper self-government work for your Encampment? I remember that in 2014, we were in the lounge/kitchen trying to focus on how to create self-government. We started working on it by asking, How do we do this? What does it look like? I don’t remember how it worked out … We did establish shared responsibility for shared spaces after things got really messy. We did sit down and figure it out.
How did the Encampers get along? How did this change over the time you were together? I don’t remember much conflict in 2013 or 2014. In 2016, when I was an intern, there definitely were arguments in the circle, especially about tone and how you are talking to someone vs. what you are saying. For instance, someone being told “You should watch your tone” and that person replying, “Don’t try to police me.” It was resolved by the staff telling everyone to go into a room and work it out. As interns, we stayed in the room when the staff left and provided guidance, if needed. They worked it out.
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Black Lives Matter rally
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2016 group
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2016 presentation
What is your favorite memory or story from the Encampment? In 2013, every time we went for meals in the cafeteria, we would pass by a park. There would be unhoused folks in the park. One day, we had lunch catered and I suggested that we pass out our leftover lunch.
During the InterGen Weekend, I talked with alum Glorianne Jackson (62NY, staff 68MT), and she asked me about my last name and if I was related to someone named Pearl, and she said, “I danced with her!” That is my great-aunt, Pearl Primus — it was so cool to find those kinds of connections.
Anything you would like to say that I haven’t asked about? Thank you to my cousin Jason for connecting me with the Encampment and to everyone who made each Encampment happen, including supporters. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have an Encampment. Thank you to Margot [Gibney], who was our main point of reference at the Encampment in 2014 and 2016.
For people going into the Encampment: Go in with an open mind. You are not going to know what to expect and you are going to be challenged by people, and it’s a process. Be prepared to make friends, open yourself up to new connections. Through the Encampment, I feel like I can open up more to people about things in my life. You might think you are one kind of person going in, but that’s not necessarily the case when you leave. You might think you are outspoken and that might change and you might become more reflective. If you are a person like me who thought, “I’m a quiet person and I’m not going to make a difference” or asking myself, “What difference do I make?” — That will also change, too. People will notice you and want to hear your voice.
What is the best way to reach you? For alums, if we’re already connected on Facebook or Instagram, feel free to send me a message there! I mostly check for chat messages and am not adding new contacts at the moment since I have limited time.
For other alums/current Encampers, I’m always open to talking offline, whether it be a phone call or through texts. Just shoot me a text beforehand to let me know who you are :). Otherwise, email works well for me — it’s like the modern-day version of writing letters, and my friends from high school will tell you that I would write notes to pass in class that sometimes turned into mini letters! My email is primus.nzingha@gmail.com.
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