PEORIA MAGAZINE December 2022

I f you ask her, Nikki Romain will say she doesn’t feel very “influential.” “I don't think that is on my mind, but I do feel like I have something to say. I'd like for people to listen with open hearts and open minds,” she said. “I have a lot of ideas and visions that I want to set forth.” Romain is executive director of Artists ReEnvisioning Tomorrow (ART) Inc., which she co-foundedwith her husband, Jonathon Romain. The couple opened the Romain Arts &Culture Center at the once-derelict Greeley School building, making it awelcoming place for children to experience arts-based programming. “ART Inc. started with pocket money and four employees,” said Whitney Pierce, program education coordinator at ART Inc. “[Now] it has government and sponsorship funding with a good number of staff. She has a clear view of what she wants, and she is manifesting it every single day.” “The passion and courage she has for pursuing the goals she has for this community is extraordinary,” added Caroline Huser, an ART Inc. board member. “There is no such thing as impossible for Nikki Romain.” ALL IN Romain is putting her all into Peoria, sitting on boards for Heart of Illinois United Way, The Links, Incorporated and Arts Alliance Illinois. She also is vice president of the Greater Peoria Illinois Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc., an organization that provides social, cultural and educational opportunities for African American children. Her l imited free time is devoted to organizations that create opportunities for women, children and people of color to be successful. Despite Romain’s many accomplish ments, there is a humility about her. She knows her worth, but candidly lists mentors in the nonprofit sector who helped her learn the ropes as she and her husband were starting ART Inc. Romain laughs as she remembers walking around taking notes and soak ing up as much information as possible early in the game.

“I'm the type of person, I'm going to give my all. I'm going to go above and beyond. I’m learning,” she said. “I surround myself with people that are smarter than me that have done this work. I know I don't know everything, and that's okay because I'm going to ask and I'm going to get the answers.” PUTTING DOWN ROOTS She’s also honest about why she didn’t expect Peoria to become her home. When she first arrived, she was pregnant with her daughter, Kennedy. She didn’t know anybody in the city, and most of her family, including her father, brother, and two of Jonathon’s four children from his previous marriage, were still living in Chicago. “I was in Peoria but I had my foot and I’d say my whole leg in Chicago still,” said Romain, laughing. Much of her t ime was spent commuting back and forth toChicago as she continued to audition and perform. Her daughter and the people she met in Peoria made her pause long enough to put down roots. “I just feel like this community is the most loving and open-armed community that I've ever experienced. I've traveled everywhere, and little did I know that this place, Peoria, would be the place that feels more like home than any other place,” Romain said. “That's what I know. So because of that, I pour into the community because this is my home now.” LOST AND FOUND Romain said a “nomadic childhood” bounced her between Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas. Every year brought a new school. Shewas sexually assaultedduring her sophomore year of high school, something she now talks about openly. The stigmatization from the assault led to depression, which in turn led to a suicide attempt and then to therapy. Through it all, she felt compelled to keep silent about her experience. Her saving grace was a choir teacher who encouraged her to audition for the school musical.

“When I stepped on stage for the first time, that was it. It changed the trajectory of my life forever,” said Romain, flashing a beaming smile at the thought. “I always say that the stage is and was my therapy because if that teacher hadn't asked me to audition for that musical, I honestly don't know how I would have coped with everything. Theater became a place where I could escape everything that was going on in my life.” Performing gave her back her voice. As a performing artist, Romain found herself in places such as Italy, Los Angeles, Orange County, Chicago and Miami. She acted and sang in touring productions of Steel Magnolias, Godspell , and Little Shop of Horrors , to name a few. While living in Los Angeles, she began writing her own scripts and working on short films.

Showbill from Nikki's one-woman play, 'Lost and Found'

She was taking a class on play writing when she was encouraged to share the story of her assault. The experience led her to write and star in Lost and Found , a one-woman play about how the arts saved her life.

DECEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 45