Women & Politics: Community Leaders Discussing Gun Violence - Part I - 97.3 wrir

Today we talk with women in local leadership about the community response to gun violence, the role of funeral services, and the intersection of domestic violence. Our guests today are:

Nickia Bland
Nickia Bland is a native of Petersburg, Virginia. She is a 96 graduate of Matoaca High School. She obtained her bachelor’s from Hampton University in 2000. Nickia currently serves at the CEO of her family business, Bland Funeral Homes in Petersburg, Virginia. Her grandfather began the business in 1952. Preserving the rich legacy her grandfather and parents passed down to her is something she values deeply. She is committed to ensuring that the same caring, dignified, professional and personal services she watched them provide to the community continues to be the hallmark standard in which she operates the family business. They have been blessed to serve the community for 70 years this year!
Nickia is also the Lead Business Counselor for the Women’s Business Center of RVA. The WBC Richmond provides one-on-one counseling, training, technical assistance, networking, and resources vital to the success of women and minority entrepreneurs in the Richmond area. She absolutely loves working in this role because she has a passion for helping women achieve their entrepreneurial goals. Nickia believes that one of the most important factors needed to grow and transform our communities is through economic development. It is important that we connect with one another and support one another to ensure that this happens, especially in the communities that are suffering. She firmly
believes that being a “boss” means nothing if you are not helping others elevate with you.
In the community, Nickia is a member of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Petersburg and is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is the mom to four beautiful children,

Cindy Capriles
Cindy joined the Safe Harbor team in 2015 as a bilingual counselor and is now the Clinical Director. She provides trauma-informed individual and group therapeutic counseling services to adult and child survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence and human trafficking.
She earned her License as a Clinical Social Worker in 2017. Cindy received her Master’s degree and Bachelor degree in Social Work from VCU. She was recognized in Style Weekly 30 under 30 in 2020.Cindy is passionate about her work with those who have experienced complex trauma and has focused her career in the field of trauma, sexual/domestic violence, and human trafficking. She supervises Safe Harbors interns and staff working toward becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia. Her professional training includes play therapy, family therapy, EMDR, TF-CBT, and mindfulness.
Cindy helps her clients recognize their own resilience, and her work is informed by her strong belief in the human capacity for healing and growth.

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