Congratulations to Kiasha Henry

Kiasha Henry: A Legacy of Service, Strength and Community 

By Randi Heth, EOW intern 

A Familial Belief in Community 

Kiasha Henry is a proud “townie.” Born and raised in Bloomington-Normal, Kiasha not only continues to live in her beloved hometown but works to make it a better place for the people of the community each and every day. And how could she not when the family members who came before her paved the way for her to become the service-driven, powerful woman she is today? 

In many ways, one could say Kiasha was born for community work. Raised in an atmosphere where giving back to the community was not just expected, but the norm, it instilled in her a passion for taking care of her community. This belief, she explains, was not simply passed down from one person alone, but rather from the village of people around her. While she was growing up, Dorothy Deany, her daycare teacher, (and the fifth ExtraOrdinary Woman honored by this organization in December 2022!) was one of her first teachers – a woman who led by example. “She would take us, the kids, to volunteer at nursing homes, and we would go and interact with the older people and draw with them. And that stuck with me as an adult.” Such a simple act, spending time with the local senior community, was the first metaphorical brick being laid in the foundation of Kiasha’s commitment to her community. 

As a young child, she naturally looked to the adults in her life for direction, and what she saw was a passion for helping others. Having such exemplary figures in her childhood clearly left a lasting impact on Kiasha. Slowly and steadily, with the help of the adults in her young life, she learned the value of community, and what it meant to give back.

“And not only did it stick with me, it shaped who I was, my service, my community, my commitment. I do that naturally. And I'm not gonna say that was just always inside of me. No, it was the people around me who were doing that, who had exposed me to it. And that just became a part of me,” she explained. 

Kiasha went on to list more people in her life, including her Aunt Gloria Jean, who helped develop the west side of Bloomington. Also instrumental in her upbringing was one notable figure from the community, Willie Brown, her late uncle. She added that Willie was more than just a board member at State Farm, he was a widely recognized community member for his devotion and service to the Bloomington-Normal area. Some of his achievements include the Roy Wilkins Award for Lifetime Achievement from the NAACP and the Community Icon Award from the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. His example was one Kiasha listed as a major influence in her own commitment to this community. “They’re dedicating school buildings after him and his wife!” she exclaimed. But when asked if she cared about leaving her legacy behind, she shared that the only legacy she cared about, was leaving an infection of kindness. 

“It needs to be a disease, an infection, everybody doing good stuff around me,” she chuckled as she shared her metaphor. But as someone who was lucky enough to share space with Kiasha Henry, I can confirm that her legacy is firmly on its way to fruition. Today, Kiasha is responsible for things like the development of Charm Inc., which stands for community, humanitarianism, assistance, revitalization and mentorship. She and her family started the movement in 2020 and one of their first initiatives was starting a block party where neighbors could gather and where they could support local children. She shared that it started out as a way to get to know their neighbors after their daughter was struggling to adjust and make friends after they moved into their new home. Taking inspiration from their childhoods, where both Kiasha and her husband Arthur were raised in tight-knit neighborhoods, they decided to host a block party. ”We had gifts and stuff for the kids. We rented out bouncy houses and it was a success! After that event, my husband said, ‘You know what? We need to do this every year.’ ” And they did. At one point in time, Kiasha and the people volunteering with Charm Inc. were able to help over 500 kids receive the supplies they needed to be successful in school. 

As the block party grew, other organizations wanted to help including the Kiwanis Club of Bloomington, Mid Central Community Action, the Bloomington Police Department, St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Mom’s Demand Action among others. It grew to be more than a neighborhood endeavor to support local kids.“We turned it into more of a resource fair where we were offering assistance for their life-paths and other things like housing assistance! … And we did this all out of our home!” she notes. 

This was no small barbecue in her backyard, Kiasha shared, noting that it grew to be such a success, they would shut down local streets to accommodate the crowd and the vendors. And even as it grew larger each year, Kiasha and the others made sure to keep the event, and their hearts, open to anyone who wanted to join. “People from all walks of life came together. We didn’t limit our services. We just asked, ‘ You’ve got babies? They’re going to school? We’ve got supplies for them. We wanted to improve relationships among neighbors as well as relations with police and fire services.” 

For a long time, Kiasha and her team hosted the West Bloomington Neighborhood Block Party, but after 10 years it was time for her to hand over the reins. A larger organization offered to take it over, and they have continued her good work. Acknowledging that the project was now larger than her two-bedroom house could accommodate, she relinquished her crown and let them take over the Charm Inc. initiative. 

A Personal Commitment to Her Fellow Women

While being a devoted community service member, Kiasha is also devoted to uplifting and supporting the women around her. When asked about the women in her life, Kiasha began with a sentiment I believe many of us share, “I think all women are extraordinary!” she said.  She spoke of our collective past as women in this country and the hurdles we jumped over and the glass ceilings we had to smash to get to where we are now. She spoke of her grandmother, a woman who raised four kids on her own after losing her husband to gun violence. She pointed out, “Not only was she able to get everybody through school and raise her family, she came out owning property … things like that that weren’t heard of at that time, but she did it by herself. And my uncle is Willie Brown,” she emphasized his name before continuing, “He was one of the chief executive officers for State Farm, that’s who she raised.” 

She continued to share about the amazing women in her life, like her mother who was the president of her union back when the General Electric plant was still in town. She shared how she admired her mother, who somehow managed to raise kids on top of the tremendous responsibilities of being a leader in her workplace. Kiasha also shared that at first she hadn’t considered what she was doing within the community to be that big of a deal. “I didn't think anything I was doing was extraordinary,” she adds. 

But clearly, someone recognized her work for what it was. Her husband, Arthur, nominated her for the ExtraOrdinary Woman Project recognition. In his nomination he notes of  her strength as she dealt with the unimaginable grief of losing her grandmother, mother and little sister all within a four-month span. Losing three beloved family members, three influential women in her life, Kiasha understandably lost her way for a bit. 

Grief and Growth

It’s undeniable that loss changes people. Kiasha shared how her grief opened her eyes to areas in her life where she realized she needed to grow. The first thing she realized was her newfound ability to ask for help. Before the losses, she considered herself to be a guarded person, oftentimes keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself. But when faced with such loss, she had no choice but to speak up, “I’ve learned that saying the thing out loud, the hard thing, ‘I need help’, or you know, ‘I'm struggling’ is a powerful thing.” 

She went on to explain that surrounding yourself with the right people is key. While Kiasha still considers herself to be a very independent person, she learned the value of having a strong community behind you, to help support you in your time of need. We chatted briefly about the importance of community connection and empathy and the fears that come with reaching out to those people for help, and then Kiasha so rightfully reminded me, “It’s normal to reach out.  Because you are a human.” Human. A somewhat obvious fact, but one that is so easy to forget. As humans, we have all sorts of ways of handling loss. Kiasha shared that for her, her loss led her down a dark path and into massive depression. 

“I just felt like everything was taken away from me. I totally withdrew from everybody and everything.” But somewhere amid her grief, she found a way to start emerging from the fog of pain and loss: her Bible. Kiasha shared that she grew up in the church and as a kid often she couldn’t stand going to services that seemingly never ended. However, when she needed comfort, stability and strength, she found it in her faith.Through grief, she found ways to grow, and unsurprisingly, ways to help people besides herself. As cliche as it may sound, Kiasha somehow found a silver-lining when she was able to push back the dark clouds of depression.. She said that as she found herself slowly returning to ‘normal,’ she reflected on what she’d been through, and thought of her children. She continued the tradition of leading by example. She wanted to share with her kids that she recognized she couldn’t have gotten through that grief alone and that is okay. 

She explained, “More importantly, I acknowledge and speak about it, and I talk about the struggles that I had. You know, in hopes that they learn something from it. And if they have to go through it, they have that example to draw from.” 

Her Legacy: Doing Good 

Although Kiasha isn’t concerned with the recognition often associated with legacy, she’s certainly creating one. It’s not recognition that drives her but rather a love for her community. 

While speaking with Kiasha, it was clear that she loves not just the people who reside in McLean County, but just people in general – humanity in its entirety. “What you put out is exactly what you’re gonna get back,” she explains. 

And for Kiasha, what she puts out is empathy and compassion for anyone and everyone. In a self-centered society, Kiasha urges herself and others to prioritize thinking of others first. Her legacy, she hopes, is one of unity and peace. In that vein, Kiasha currently volunteers as a mediator for people who are losing their housing. She shares that peace can’t be achieved without communicating your differences so that you can work together to find a solution – something she’s learned from being a mediator. And when peace is found, so is unity. Uniting people, helping them work out their differences, whether it’s between a landlord and a tenant, or two feuding neighbors, is all Kiasha wants. 

“I want to bring peace to people who are arguing constantly. Like, what can I do to quit the division?” she shares. She ponders the question she posed to herself before continuing, “I can’t stand it. I can’t stand the political division. I can’t stand the racial division. Like, we’re all here together. We all have to work together.” 

Kiasha Henry hopes to spread the belief of seeing your fellow humans as more than just people who take up space on this earth, but as people worthy of communication and empathy. She wants to focus on spreading kindness and compassion and ensuring her kids do the same. 

She explains, “I grew up seeing people out there, just doing good stuff, and that’s what I hope to pass on. And actually, I know I’ve passed it to my kids for sure. I hope that by example others adopt it as well. That’s the legacy I want to leave.”