LaNicia Duke is the founder and CEO Humble Beginnings, a nonprofit dedicated to serving rural communities in Oregon. Her latest program, Black Rural Network, provides outreach, networking and civic engagement opportunities for Black residents of rural communities while advocating for issues that affect rural communities. She recently moved to central Oregon after spending close to nine years on the Oregon coast.
LaNicia’s work has been featured in various news outlets including The Oregonian, Tillamook Headlight Herald, and The Astorian. She has also written editorial pieces published for Hipfish Monthly, The Upper Left Edge and on her own blog, I am Changed Living.
Drawing from her personal experiences in being a Black person in a mostly White and rural county where the Black population is less than 1% of the total county population, she offers a unique perspective from the national narrative and conversations in many urban and metropolitan areas around diversity, equity and inclusion. Her past clients include Presence Collective, Warrenton (OR) Public Library, Timberland Regional Library, R.A.R.E. (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) and Enterprise Community Partners. She also hosted a radio show, “Rural Race Talks” on Coast Community Radio.
LaNicia sits on the Racial Justice Council (RJC) Environmental Equity Committee by Governor Kate Brown. In April of 2023, LaNicia was confirmed by the Oregon State Senate to sit on the Commission for Black Affairs. She is also the recipient of the 2023 Professional Achievement award from the Oregon Commission for Women.
Photo Credit: Trav Williams | Broken Banjo Photography
LaNicia’s work has been featured in various news outlets including The Oregonian, Tillamook Headlight Herald, and The Astorian. She has also written editorial pieces published for Hipfish Monthly, The Upper Left Edge and on her own blog, I am Changed Living.
Drawing from her personal experiences in being a Black person in a mostly White and rural county where the Black population is less than 1% of the total county population, she offers a unique perspective from the national narrative and conversations in many urban and metropolitan areas around diversity, equity and inclusion. Her past clients include Presence Collective, Warrenton (OR) Public Library, Timberland Regional Library, R.A.R.E. (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) and Enterprise Community Partners. She also hosted a radio show, “Rural Race Talks” on Coast Community Radio.
LaNicia sits on the Racial Justice Council (RJC) Environmental Equity Committee by Governor Kate Brown. In April of 2023, LaNicia was confirmed by the Oregon State Senate to sit on the Commission for Black Affairs. She is also the recipient of the 2023 Professional Achievement award from the Oregon Commission for Women.
Photo Credit: Trav Williams | Broken Banjo Photography