(upbeat music)
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♪ Every day an adventure ♪
♪ And you I have given the best ♪
♪ There is magic in time ♪
♪ And there's magic in love if you feel so... ♪♪
- I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
- Thank you.
- Hi.
- Thank you for coming.
I should have been happy.
Here I was, a best-selling author,
signing copies of my latest book,
but I couldn't help feeling that something was missing.
That means a lot to me.
- So, how's the celebrity author?
- She feels like a fraud.
- What, why?
- I've only been writing for a couple years.
- Mm-hmm, and what does that tell you?
- That I don't belong here. - Mm-mm.
That you are just as talented as any of these other authors.
And I'm not just saying that 'cause you're my sister.
(laughing)
Why don't we get outta here? Go get something to eat,
get a drink. Celebrate. You deserve it.
- Okay, look, we have a few minutes left.
Why don't you stay here, hold down the fort,
and I'll go find our host and say thank you.
- Okay, I'll start packing up.
(chuckling) - All right.
- All right. Hey...
Your readers love you, Nicki.
You are a queen.
Mmm! (laughing)
(soft music)
- Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
(clicks tongue) - I wasn't scared.
- Hmm.
(playful music)
- You come here with your mama?
Your daddy? Your grandma?
- I come here by myself.
Every day after school, and on weekends.
- To do what?
- To read.
(chuckling)
- Do you have books at home?
Or at your school library?
- I read everything in there, long ago.
Besides, they don't get anything new.
The books are always old
and usually missing a bunch of pages.
- Hmm.
- Where are your kids?
- My kids? - Mm-hmm.
- My kids are older.
- Then how come you're here?
- I came here for a book signing.
That is when um, you meet the author
of a book you like,
and she signs her name in it for you.
- Did you meet her?
- Who? - The author!
- Oh... (chuckling)
I'm actually the author.
- You're an author?!
- Oh...
Unless this is someone impersonating me.
- I've never met an author before.
- We're not so special.
I bet I was a lot like you when I was your age.
- You're messin' with me. - No.
No, I promise.
I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica,
and I spent a lot of time alone.
Reading was my escape, just like you.
You see, I was taught by nuns,
who were the final word on, well... everything.
And the meanest of the bunch was Sister Barbara.
Hmm, I was ordered to write,
which I was happy to do.
After all, it was my favorite subject.
She'd always warn me about writing with my left hand.
In those days, there was a saying,
"The right hand is the right hand."
(yard stick slaps)
She told me that if I kept this up,
I would never become a writer.
- But you became an author anyway.
- I learned early on,
if I wait for somebody else to believe in me,
I might be waiting forever.
- Hey, Nicki! - Oh!
- I've been looking for you. You ready to go now?
- Yeah. Yeah, um...
Would you just give me a minute?
- Mm-hmm, sure.
- Can I see? - Mm-hmm.
- Hmm.
Is it good?
- It's great.
- Then you should have it.
- I don't have any money.
- Come on. It'll be my treat.
- You think I can be a writer one day?
I mean, you know, if I work real hard?
- No.
I know you can.
(upbeat music)
(car rumbles, approaching)
(sighs)
- Thank you.
(clears throat)
- Whew! I am so tired!
(scoffs) - You're tired?
- Yeah! - You slept the whole way home!
- That's the good thing about you driving, I can get my rest!
(laughing)
- Well, you are the celebrity.
- Celebrity. - Mm-hmm.
- I can't get her out of my mind.
- Who? - Keisha...
the little girl I was talking to.
- Oh, she was a cutie.
- She was so...
so inspiring.
(yawns)
- If you say so.
- I have so much on my plate,
I didn't even wanna go to that signing thing.
(chuckling) - I know, I remember.
I had to practically drag you there.
- And then, to meet this little girl?
The way she looked at me.
- Come on.
Let's get some sleep in a real bed--
- This is the start of something, Nene.
I-I can feel it.
I haven't felt this energized in a long time.
- Another book?
- No. Something new.
Something different. I-I don't know what yet.
I appreciate you comin' with me. You know that?
- Are you kidding? It's an honor.
(chuckling) I am so proud of you.
Your daughters are so proud of you.
Mama would've been proud of you, too.
Hmm.
She would've.
Lord knows she had her problems,
but deep down, she always knew.
- Knew what?
- That you would be a great writer.
(soft enchanting music)
- I couldn't stop thinking about Keisha.
We always talk about saving girls like her,
but the truth is, she's the one that saved me.
Two weeks later, I reached out to Phyllis Grantham,
the director of a community center in Charleston.
Hi, Miss Phyllis!
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.
- It's my pleasure.
When I got your email
about what you were thinking about,
I knew I wanted to get involved.
- Well, um, like I said in that email,
I haven't been able to stop thinking about that little girl
I met at the book signing, Keisha.
- I actually spoke with the principal
at her elementary school.
Apparently, she's quite a special student.
- I could tell.
- It's a shame, though.
She's got it tough at home.
Mother's out of work, father's long gone.
- That's why this is so important.
We can't lose that baby girl.
She has to know that she matters.
- So, why don't you tell me what you're thinking about.
- Well... to be honest,
I'm not exactly sure.
What I do know is that I wanted to create an event
to reach other young girls,
um... at-risk girls,
to make them feel special.
- So, like a book club for young girls.
- Uh, that could be part of it.
Maybe.
But I was thinking something bigger.
Much bigger.
- Well, whatever it is, we wanna be a part of it.
We don't get very many people excited about these girls.
And you can use this space, of course.
And I know the high school wants to get involved.
I spoke with the principal over there, Mr. Flynn,
he's really excited.
- Thank you so much, Miss Phyllis.
- Just to be clear,
you have done something like this before, right?
- Not even close.
(upbeat inspiring music)
(footsteps approaching)
Nene!
(chuckling)
- You taking a break from all of this?
- But I have good news. They liked it.
- Who? - The people from Charleston.
They liked the idea. - Oh.
- I've been thinking about this nonstop.
- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. - Obviously.
(sighs)
We know what we want to do,
reach at-risk girls and inspire them.
But how to do it, that's the question.
- Okay.
(clears throat)
So, it-it occurred to me...
why reinvent the wheel?
Why don't we do what we already know works?
- Sure. What is that?
- What do you always say I'm best at?
- Writing. - Well...
there are a lot of wonderful writers.
What do you always say I do better than anybody else?
- Book launches.
Promoting it and promoting the authors.
- Exactly. A book launch.
We use the format of our launches,
but instead of a single book, we do an entire event.
- What kind of event?
- Instead of authors, we'll bring in speakers
to talk about the issues that our girls care about,
um... education, self-esteem,
issues at home, drug abuse, nutrition.
- Okay, no offense, Nicki, but you can't lecture
at these girls. You're gonna bore them to death.
- Yep. Lame-o. - Oh.
- Hey, Sleepyhead. - Morning.
(chuckling) - Morning Tete.
- Oh, morning, Diamond. Mm!
(chuckling)
- Diamond, don't you have guest speakers at school?
- Mm, yeah. So?
- Um, don't you find anything
that they have to say interesting?
- Hmm. I dunno.
I listen to music while they're talking,
(laughing) - Diamond, seriously?
Well... what could they talk about
that would be of interest to you?
- Clothes! - Mm-mm.
The purpose of this is to make these girls feel seen.
It's not a fashion show.
- But why couldn't they dress up?
- Mm-hmm!
(clicks tongue)
- I mean, why couldn't we help them with their makeup?
There's nothing frivolous about that.
- Yeah, when you look good, you feel good.
- Exactly. Our girls deserve to love on themselves.
For one day, they'll know they're something special.
- But just for one day.
Then they go back to their lives.
What impact can we really have?
- You're right.
But if they know we believe in them,
they'll believe in themselves.
And there's nothing more powerful than that.
(school bell rings)
Junior high school in Las Vegas
was a lot different than Jamaica.
But some things never change.
There's always people trying to keep you down.
- Hey, weirdo! Where're you goin'?
- Home. - Home?
Oh, you mean...
(Jamaican accent): Back to Jamaica?
(inhales deeply)
(chuckling)
- This kind of bullying was happening every day.
- Hey, I'm talking to you.
- Please just leave me alone.
- P-p-please just leave me...
How come you talk so funny?
That how everyone in Jamaica talks, or are you just dumb?
And if you're so dumb, how come you're already
the teacher's pet?
- I just wanna go 'ome. - And I just want an answer!
- I had finally had enough.
Touch me again and you'll be going home in an ambulance.
- Hey, calm down, I was just jokin' around.
- You even look at me,
I'll show you how we do things in Jamaica.
The funny thing is, he was right.
Miss Davis did like me.
She believed in me, and that gave me strength.
- Great story, Mama.
- It lets you know you need to stick up for yourself.
- No, it lets me know
that you were a little weirdo growing up.
(gasps) - Hey!
(laughing)
- Now we have to come up with the most important part.
- How to pay for all of this. - Yes.
- Where to find time to do it. - No!
A name.
- A name?
- Has to be something catchy,
something people remember,
something our girls even want to be a part of.
- Nicki's girls.
(upbeat music)
The light that guides?
- That sounds creepy.
- Uh-huh.
(laughing)
- How about
"Helping Girls Reach Their Full Potential"?
(retches) - Uh...'kay.
(laughing)
- I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from.
- Diamond!
- What about that program that you were a part of years ago?
- Upward Bound.
- Ah... now that is a good name.
- Too bad that one's already taken.
- Yeah. - Can we take a break?
I'm hungry.
- Yeah, you want some lunch, baby?
- Lunch? I just woke up!
- Brunch, then. - Brunch!
(chuckling)
(gasps)
- That's it.
- What's it?
- Brunch.
"Girls Who Brunch".
- Now, that's not bad.
- Yeah, I've heard worse.
- Girls Who Brunch.
- Girls Who Brunch. I like it.
- Girls Who Brunch.
Yeah.
What you want? Eggs? Okay.
- Pancakes. Mmm!
- Lemme see what I got.
- No, seriously, pancakes.
(upbeat music)
- I had the idea,
and now I had the name.
That left one big problem:
how to get the word out.
Luckily, thanks to my background in publishing,
I knew exactly what I had to do.
I bought royalty-free photos of African American girls
doing all sorts of fun things.
Then, I plastered them all over social media,
and I marketed the hell out of it.
I started reaching out to inspiring women
and local leaders to mentor girls
and encourage them to dream bigger than their circumstances.
I kept calling this a red carpet event,
because I wanted the girls to feel special.
So, we put together some swag,
and we did our best to give them some things they might want...
and need, because they deserved it.
Before I knew it, I was back in Charleston.
The moment of truth was upon us.
(sighs)
- What's wrong, Mama? - Nothing. Really!
- Hey, tell me.
(clicks tongue)
- Phyllis spoke to all those people,
the doctors, the lawyers, businessmen.
- I remember you telling me.
- Yeah, uh, they each pledged
to give money for this event.
- Mm-hmm. That's great.
- It is.
The problem is...
I fronted the money for all of this.
- They didn't donate ahead of time.
- And it was a lot more than I thought.
(scoffs)
(sighs)
- Hey,
we will be okay, Mama.
Once this takes off...
we'll be okay.
(bright inspiring music)
- Here.
Everyone was asleep,
but I still had work to do.
If we were calling this a red carpet event,
the gift bags had to be something special.
So, there was some last-minute shopping.
(car engine starts) - I hate you!
(tires squeal) I hate you!
(sobbing)
- Excuse me, are you okay?
(soft music)
(sniffles)
Who was that?
- No one.
(inhales deeply) My boyfriend.
Ex-boyfriend.
- Did he hurt you?
- Nah.
Just yelled at me.
(sniffles) That's what he does.
- I'm sorry.
- Left me stranded here.
- You wanna call your mother?
Uh, your brother or your sister?
You wanna call a cab?
- I don't got no money.
- Come.
- Where?
- I'll take you home.
- Yeah, what's the catch? - Catch?
- Yeah, what do you want from me?
- Nothin'.
Nothin' at all.
I just wanna make sure you get home safe.
(exhales sharply)
Actually...
What are you doing tomorrow?
I didn't get much sleep that night.
Or I should say, I got less than usual.
(upbeat music)
(indistinct chatter)
This was it.
Both the culmination of my plans
and the very beginning.
I didn't know if I would succeed or fail.
But I knew, from this point on,
there was no turning back.
(upeat music)
(cheers and applause)
(cheering and applause continues)
Come on! Keep giving Aisha a big hand!
All right, ladies, if I could get your attention,
just for a moment, please.
I want to thank you all
for coming to the very first
Girls Who Brunch event!
(cheers and applause)
Now, we are going to have a lot of fun today.
Do you know why?
- Why?
- Because...
you, you, you, all of you,
you deserve it.
- That's right! (applause)
- You hear me?
So, continue to have fun.
I want you all to make new friends.
And I want y'all to take some time
to talk to our special guests,
inspiring women, who started out just like you.
Now, when you came in, you were given a bag.
It's got plenty of goodies in it.
But guess what? You will have more opportunities
to win more prizes!
- Oh!
- That's right!
(applause)
If...
you're willing to dance!
(cheering)
(hip-hop music playing)
DJ!
("Grow On You" by MD of Boomsday Alliance plays)
♪ How many of you believe your dreams are real ♪
♪ How many times have you been misled the way you feel ♪
♪ I'm speaking from a place I'm amazed from a stand point ♪
♪ How do you feel knowing my place is in plan, boy ♪
♪ Stand with me, I don't plan to be decieved... ♪
It was clear that the girls
all had a ton of fun.
But it was also the start of something bigger.
We were empowering these girls to believe in themselves.
To believe that they could do anything.
♪ I make dreams turn to moments ♪
♪ And we turn to leaders ♪
♪ To free us from opponents ♪ I hold us to a higher measure ♪
♪ Defy pressure The five single format's alive ♪
♪ It's my pleasure, yes ♪
♪ It takes real talent to say this ♪
♪ So make room on your playlist ♪
♪ We get it in that we're positively dope ♪
♪ But we still have far to go ♪
♪ Remember when we were lost and often broke ♪
♪ But we still have far to go ♪
I'll be right back.
You came!
Come on!
- Uh... I don't think I should be here.
- Why not?
I want you to meet someone.
Diamond!
- I'll talk to you later.
- This is my daughter, Diamond.
- Oh, hey! - Hi.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Diamond, this is Shana.
We met last night at the store.
Why don't you get her a bag and something to eat?
- Okay. - Oh, uh...
I don't have any money.
- Do you have an appetite?
Well, that's all you need!
- Come on!
- So, what do you think?
- I think it's a start!
- Well, for you, maybe,
but for these girls, it's everything.
These girls may lack a lot of things,
but the most tragic is hope,
and you gave that to them today.
You made them feel special.
- Good.
I want you to know,
if these girls or their mothers
need to talk to me,
need my support, I'm here for them.
- Ni'Cola, that's a very generous offer,
but there's a lot of girls in here today.
(chuckling) And I'm sure all of them
would like to talk to you.
- Well then, I'll talk to all of them.
- It's just not practical.
- You said I gave them hope, right?
- More than they ever had.
- I won't desert them.
I'm not gonna give them hope
and then just walk away.
If they need me, they can reach me.
- God bless you.
- But there's one more thing I need from you.
For this to work,
Girls Who Brunch can't be a single event.
The spirit of the event has to live on.
- Well, how do we do that, without you, I mean?
- In every city,
following a Girls Who Brunch event,
we need volunteers, right?
Teachers, coaches,
community leaders like yourself,
to hold smaller events.
- I mean, I'd do it, absolutely, but...
I don't know if we have the resources.
- We don't need much!
Remember, these are just the smaller events.
Speakers could talk about...
bullying, right?
Financial literacy,
self-esteem.
The key is to keep these girls engaged.
We need to make them feel safe.
We need to make them feel special.
- Well, at least for Charleston,
you can count on me.
- Oh, Phyllis!
(upbeat music playing)
- So, you glad you came?
- I am. Thank you.
- Shana, what is it?
You can tell me.
- Today was great.
And I do appreciate it. But uh...
- But?
- But... after this, I still go home.
And you know what that means?
Means I have to make sure my mom isn't too hungover
to go to work.
Means I have to make sure I'm quiet,
so I don't wake her up boyfriend and get the belt.
(melancholy music)
(sniffles)
(sighs)
- I'm sorry.
I didn't know.
- How could you?
You're a famous writer.
- Hmm. Shana, trust me...
I'm a lot more like you than you think.
- How do you mean?
- When I was your age,
Saving Grace Methodist Church
was right down the street from my house.
It became my refuge
when I needed to escape things at home.
I was in the choir. Mmm...
I loved it.
Singing, performing,
it was right up my alley.
And then, we got a new choir director, Marc.
(choir vocalizing)
(door creaks)
- Ni'Cola.
You're a very pretty girl.
- Oh, I am...
I just came to church.
(chuckles) - I can see that.
Come on in.
(organ plays darkly)
Come on. Let's go.
(door clunks heavily)
(lock clicks)
(Marc): You know that, don't you?
I think you do.
But you're a good girl.
So, you know the Lord considers pride a sin.
(Ni'Cola): I... really have to g-go.
- Don't worry. It's our little secret.
- Please, don't!
(ominous music)
(door clunks)
(Ni'Cola): Sometimes when the people we trust hurt us,
we repeat the pattern,
choosing people who are wrong for us
and treat us badly.
We think it's what we deserve.
But we deserve better.
- Huh.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
- Don't be sorry.
Come here.
No matter what happens,
never let anybody make you feel bad about yourself.
Ever.
Baby girl, you are so special.
You understand?
(soft music)
There was no doubt about it,
the event was a success.
And although I knew we had plenty of hard work ahead,
tonight, mm-hmm! Tonight was for celebrating.
Oh!
Here you go.
- What's this? - Champagne.
- For me? (gasps)
- Mm... sparkling apple juice.
- Wait.
To you, Mama.
- To us.
(both): To Girls Who Brunch!
- Ah! (laughing)
Hmm.
(clicks tongue) Okay.
Give it to me straight.
What could we have done better?
- Are you playin', Mama?
It was amazing! Everybody says so!
- If we rest on our laurels, Diamond, we will never grow.
- How about we rest on our bottoms just for tonight?
(laughing)
They loved the linen napkins.
- Hmm! - It made it all so bougie.
And everyone kept going on about the food.
- I was spending so much time talking to the girls, you know,
I didn't eat anything.
- Your loss. I'm telling you,
that fried chicken they had...
gives yours a run for its money.
(gasps) - Watch your mouth.
(chuckling) - And everyone was dancing.
- The music, right? - Mm-hmm!
- It gave it a vibe! - Definitely.
- I bet we could get musicians to volunteer.
- Professionals?
- No, no, just girls who perform their own music,
in the spirit of the event.
We can give them exposure, you know,
girls who never would've thought they had a chance.
- You know, I bet I could find these girls online.
They definitely post their music.
- Good idea.
- Hey, Mama? - Hmm?
- What was the deal with that um,
girl you introduced me to, Shana?
- Shana.
She's just a girl who needed my help.
- Okay...
- I gotta keep their confidentiality, Diamond.
These girls...
they need to know that they can trust me.
- Is she gonna be all right?
- I hope so!
You know what?
I really do think it's time for us to hit the sack.
It has been a long day.
- M'kay. I get the side with the AC.
- Oh!
All right, I'm gonna take a shower.
(rhythmic music)
Diamond.
- Hmm?
- Thank you.
- For what?
- For being you.
(chuckling)
Uh, yes, you know, I'm so sorry.
Charleston, it was really crazy after that. Uh-huh.
After Charleston, the word spread like wildfire.
Yeah, I...I promise.
And I truly appreciate your interest.
Okay, bye-bye.
People all across the country began to reach out to us.
- Whew, okay.
- But what I learned very quickly
was that without the support of my Charleston team,
Phyllis, Principal Flynn,
other volunteers from the community center,
it was nearly impossible to plan other events.
(sighs heavily) The emails?
- They are coming in faster than I can get to them,
from all over the country.
- What? - Mm-hmm.
- Just do your best. - I am, Nicki,
but you need help!
- I have help. (chuckling)
- Real help.
(laughing) This thing is blowin' up.
- Hey, Mama!
(gasps) - Hi, Tete Nene!
- Hey! (chuckles happily)
- Um, baby, what're you doin' home?
- Mm-hmm? - It's 3:30. School's over.
- It is 3:30. - I lost track of time.
- So...
anyone else call about hosting Girls Who Brunch?
(laughing)
- That is all we've been doing.
Fielding calls from people who are interested.
- That's great!
- Okay...
What's wrong, Mama? - Hmm.
Charleston was hard enough
with Phyllis' help, and everyone at the community center.
- Oh, I'll help again.
- You don't understand.
Just collecting the money that was promised us
was a full-time job.
And even when we did get it,
it still wasn't enough.
I just can't afford to do that again.
- Okay.
Then...
we'll just have to raise some more.
(chuckling)
- Okay. (laughing)
(rhythmic music)
- Hmm. She's just like you.
- Oh, thank goodness, I've been on hold for about half an hour.
- You've reached the sponsorship department.
No one is here to take your call.
(phone beeps)
- No, I have not submitted a request form.
No, I-I'm sitting with it here in front of me,
I just have a-a question that I--
That's right, that's right, ma'am, it's called
Girls Who Brunch. Not lunch, brunch.
Girl-Girls Who Brunch.
Right, but we don't have a national headquarters.
We don't even have a headquarters.
(chuckling)
(rhythmic music continues)
(footsteps approaching)
- Mama? - What?
What, um... what time is it?
- No, you're not working too hard.
(sighs)
- I just fell asleep.
(sighs)
Thank you.
- What were you doing? - Fundraising calls.
And I just put my head down for a minute.
- Any luck?
Know what you need?
- About half a dozen wealthy donors
who have a burning desire to support young women?
- No.
(rhythmic music plays)
- Mm-mm. Diamond, I'm tired.
- Come on! Dancing makes everything better.
(clicks tongue) - I got work to do.
- Isn't that what you always tell me?
How when I was little and wouldn't stop crying,
it was the only thing that worked.
- Diamond, you had colic.
- Same principle.
- What? (laughing)
Who is this? - Remember Aisha?
Her older sister moved to New York and recorded this.
She got a manager and everything!
It's all over social media. I'm obsessed.
- Mm-hmm. - Come on!
- I mean, it sounds good. - I know!
♪ Hit the roof, don't need to light candles ♪
- Okay, show me how it's done!
♪ Who wrote the book of love for the people ♪
♪ Who writes out the themes of the steeple ♪
♪ In attempts to get closer ♪
♪ All we have is a happy gold rosary ♪♪
I thought this was gonna be a lot easier.
I thought I would call up these companies,
tell them about Girls Who Brunch,
and they would wanna contribute.
- I don't understand. Who is getting all this money
that they're bragging about donating?
- Organizations that have staff,
that know how to do this.
I'm telling you, you need a Ph.D. to be able
to fill out these applications.
- I wish I could help, Nicki, but I have to--
- No. No, no, no.
I know.
You've been so wonderful, Nene. - Hmm.
- And these volunteers, they're doing such a great job
on all of the smaller events.
Ignite Master Classes.
That's what we're calling them. - Hmm.
- No. I need a team of full-time people
on the Girls Who Brunch tour.
- You workin' on any new books?
- Honestly, this has been taking up most of my time.
- Nicki, I know how much this idea means to you,
and I know why. Believe me, I was there.
But at the end of the day, you're a writer.
Don't ever forget that.
- Oh, to what do we owe this honor?
- What? - Mm!
- A-a woman can't prepare a nice meal
for her sister and her daughter?
- Okay! - Well, this is nice.
Feel like I'm at a restaurant. (laughing)
But seriously, what is this all about?
- I-I just wanted to say thank you.
- Oh! - That's all.
I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you.
- Yeah, well, I mean, it's not like I had much of a choice.
(clicks tongue) - Girl!
(laughing)
- Yes, you did. And I appreciate you.
- Well, I do think you're working too hard.
- Mm-hmm.
- Hard work never killed anyone.
Besides, I like most of it.
(laughing)
- Oh, but I do love getting those emails and texts
from the girls saying how much fun they had.
- Mm, you're like a mama to them.
- They're my babies.
(chuckling) - You know what I think?
- Mm-mm.
- I think you suddenly started cooking
because you're afraid the food at the events
is putting you to shame!
- Ooh, that delicious spread they made for us!
- At the last event? - Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
- Every bite. - Every bite.
I was licking my fingers. They were so good!
- Oh, okay, okay! - That was really good.
- All right, both of you, calm.
Okay, okay, okay.
Both of you go ahead and eat.
How's the dressing? It's good? - Mmm!
- Delicious! - Mm-hmm.
- Oh, just promise me you're not gonna start catering
the events yourself.
- I know how to delegate.
- A little.
(laughing)
(upbeat music)
- Hey, baby. How ya doin'?
- Hey, Tete Nene. (chuckling)
Where's Mama? - She fell asleep upstairs.
What're you doing?
- What do you think?
(chuckles softly)
(inhales deeply, sighs)
I hope you're not taking on too much.
Your mom wouldn't like it if you were falling behind
in school.
- Well, I figure it's the least I could do,
considering how much she's helping everyone else.
(chuckling) - Hmm.
- And I don't wanna hear about everything you two did
when you were my age.
How you did the dishes. - Oh, we did.
- Cleaned the house. - Yes.
- Walked to school. - That's true.
- Walked to school barefoot. - Yep.
- If there was snow in Jamaica,
I'm sure you would've walked barefoot in the snow.
(laughing)
- Okay, I'm taking over.
Go and do your homework.
(sighs) And just so you know...
we did have it tough.
Tougher than you, at least.
(chuckling) But your mom,
she was different.
- How do you mean? - Well...
anything that she did,
she needed to be the best at it.
- Is that why she's spending every second
on Girls Who Brunch?
- Don't get me wrong,
she cares about those girls, she cares about them a lot,
but she could have joined another organization,
given them her money, her time.
- So, why didn't she?
- Because she saw something that could be different.
Something better.
If you want your mom to succeed at something,
just tell her it can't be done.
(chuckling)
- Good night, Tete Nene.
- Mmm.
Good night. I love you, Diamond.
- I love you, too.
- Okay.
(sighs)
(Ni'Cola): With a lot of hard work and perseverance,
we finally raised enough money for our next event
in Birmingham, Alabama.
- Thank you.
(chuckles happily)
I hope they have a pool.
Maybe a sauna.
- I could use a nap.
- So, take one.
Why not? We're all set for tomorrow.
Space is reserved, the volunteers are ready.
- The goody bags.
I'm gonna go to the stores, pick up all the items,
and I'll make them tonight.
- But you have a few hundred to make.
Double what we made last time.
- Exactly!
(laughing)
(soft music)
(Ni'Cola): I'd fly into town the day before the event.
Spend that night going from store to store.
Then stay up, sometimes 'til dawn,
putting the gift bags together.
It wasn't easy,
but the girls had to have them.
They deserved it.
I remember when my girls were born.
I didn't know you could love anyone that much.
I had made some bad choices about men
who didn't treat me right,
and before I knew it,
I was about to become a single mother
when I was about Diamond's age.
(exhales)
- It's not too late, you know.
- Oh, don't start!
Mama, please!
- I'm just sayin'!
It's not even like you need to give her to a stranger!
Your sister will take her.
- This is my child.
My responsibility.
I'm not gonna give her up for adoption.
- What kind of life do you think you can give her?
- The best I can!
- And that's good enough?
- It will be.
(sighs)
- I hope you know what you're doin'.
(groans in pain)
(breathing shallowly)
(groans in pain)
- After enduring a 23-hour labor,
my daughter, Destani, mercifully arrived.
I knew...
I knew I was her mama.
(footsteps approach slowly)
(clicks tongue) Hey, Miss Popular!
Where're your friends at?
(gasps) - Mama!
(laughing)
- Hi! - What're you doing here?
- Oh! Well, you're always telling me to come visit,
so I'm visiting!
- Well, why didn't you tell me you were coming?
- What, and ruin the surprise?
- Here, sit down, sit down.
You look tired.
(exhales sharply)
(sighs)
- You've been talking to Diamond.
- Well, you've been working too hard.
Diamond's just worried about you, that's all.
- The truth is,
as exhausted as I am,
I have never felt more alive.
- Tell me about it.
(breathes deeply)
- Tell you? No, I wanna show you!
We have an event here in Houston.
- Oh, so that's why you're really here.
- No! No, no, no, no.
I'm an entrepreneur now.
There's no reason I can't combine business and pleasure.
(chuckling)
- Ugh, I'd love to, Mama, I really would,
but I have tests coming up in two classes
and a paper due tomorrow.
- Good!
That's what college is for.
- I'm proud of you, Mama.
Diamond sends me links to all the articles
about Girls Who Brunch.
- I'm proud of you.
Well, you don't have time to go to the event,
but you still have time to eat, don't you?
(chuckling) - In the mood for anything?
- Well, we are in Texas.
Anything other than barbeque would be sacrilegious.
(chuckling) - Good thing I know
the best place in town.
- Ooh! Okay!
- So, after Houston, where are you off to?
(inhales deeply)
- Baby, if I told you,
you would never believe me.
(upbeat music)
That first year, we went to so many different cities
that it's almost a blur.
(exhales sharply)
(whimpers)
(footsteps approaching)
- Hey, Mama!
- Hey!
- Are you okay? - Of course, I'm okay!
- You sure? - Yeah, I just um...
I need some water. Just go get me some water.
- Okay, stay right here.
(tense music)
(exhales sharply)
(whimpers)
(chuckling)
- Thank you. (gasps)
- Ugh! - Okay, Mom, we need
to get you to a doctor.
- Okay, okay.
(sighs)
- Ni'Cola Mitchell?
I'm Dr. Freeman. How are you feeling?
- I would feel a lot better
if I knew what was wrong with me.
- I'm sure.
And we're gonna get to the bottom of it, I promise you.
Has this ever happened to you before?
- The bleeding? - Mm-hmm.
- No.
What could cause it?
- Could be a lot of things.
Menorrhagia,
an infection, ovarian cysts-- - Cancer?
(breathes shakily)
- Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay?
Vaginal bleeding is not uncommon,
and as I said before, there could be a lot
of reasons for it. Most of them perfectly harmless.
Have you been under a lot of stress recently?
- I'm always under a lot of stress.
(chuckles lightly) - More than usual?
Could be it, of course.
A thousand years of medicine and we're just learning
about the effect that stress has on the human body.
So, we're gonna do some blood work,
gonna run some tests.
Don't worry, we're gonna find out what's going on.
But until then, I want you to take it easy.
Can you do that for me?
- I'll try.
- Good. And as much as possible,
try to eliminate the stress around you.
(exhales deeply)
Okay.
(footsteps clunk away)
(exhales sharply)
(soft music)
(upbeat music)
- Yes, we've done plenty of events in Alabama.
Mm-hmm, all over the South, really.
- Mm-hmm, anything helps, of course.
School supplies are greatly needed.
- Yeah, we can do that.
- Anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred.
It all just really depends on how long we have and--
- Okay, that sounds good, thank you.
Bye, bye. I'll call back.
(phone ringing)
Hello, Girls Who Brunch.
(Dr. Freeman): Ni'Cola Mitchell? - Yes.
I'm sorry. - Hi!
Thank you for taking my call. Uh, this is Girls Who Brunch...
- This is she.
- Ni'Cola...
I'm afraid I have some bad news.
- It's cancer, isn't it?
- Yes, it is.
(breathes shakily)
- Okay, tell me everything.
- The cancer's in the uterus and in the cervix,
but thankfully, we caught it early.
- Am I gonna die?
- Ni'Cola, in medicine, there are several variables
that go into consideration when we're--
- Am I... going to die?
- The cancer's treatable.
There's no reason not to expect a full recovery.
The procedure is called EBT,
External Beam Therapy.
A machine delivers electron beams directly into the tumor.
They destroy the cancer cells
while sparing the surrounding tissue.
- Is it gonna hurt?
- While you're receiving the treatment,
you won't feel a thing, but afterward,
you're going to be tired.
Very tired.
Fatigue is the most common side effect.
(clears throat) - Okay.
- So, you must get your rest.
I mean it.
(soft music)
(phone beeps)
(Ni'Cola): In that moment,
all I knew was that we had less than a month
until the next event.
And nothing was gonna keep me away.
Hey, baby. - Hey.
- There's never a good time to receive this kind of news.
It felt like some cosmic joke.
Everything I had been through,
from my childhood until today,
every challenge, every roadblock,
things were finally starting to look up.
And now, cancer.
- Mama?
- Hey.
(sighs)
(exhales gently)
- Mama?
- Yeah, baby?
- How bad is it?
- I have cancer.
I start radiation treatment right away,
and then surgery, and I'm gonna be fine.
I promise.
(sobbing) No, come here. Shh, shh, shh.
(sobbing) No. Mm-mm.
- I don't want you to die.
(breathing shakily)
- Who said I'm gonna die?! I'm not goin' anywhere!
I'm not gonna die!
- You promise? - I promise!
Uh-uh. Okay.
(Diamond crying)
Diamond...
I need you to be...
strong for me. Okay?
(sniffles) - Okay.
- Don't be scared. I'm not scared. Come here.
- Okay. (crying)
- I needed to be strong for myself, too,
so I went to see the one person in my life
who had always been there for me.
(chuckling)
No matter what.
- Ni'Cola Mitchell,
as I live and breathe.
(chuckling)
(soft music)
(chuckles happily)
(knock on door)
- Come in?
- Dr. Sullivan?
I'm Ni'Cola Mitchell.
- Ni'Cola. Come in, come in.
Please, sit down.
So, tell me, Ni'Cola,
how much do you know about Upward Bound?
- Just what Candace Williams told me.
We go to the same church.
- So then, you know what we help girls like you...
girls that haven't had the same advantages
as some other girls have. - Yes, Sir.
- And it's true you'd like to be a part of Upward Bound?
- Very much.
However, I... I know you have to live in the dorm
and attend all the weekly sessions.
And I...
I won't be able to.
- You do know it's a prerequisite?
- Yes, Sir.
(sighs)
- May I ask why you're unable to?
- My daughter. - Ah, you have a daughter.
(sighs) - A toddler. Destani.
She's... my world.
- And you live with her?
- Yes, with my mother.
(sighs)
(soft music)
- Well...
let's just see if there isn't something we can do about that.
- There was something he did about it.
He allowed me in the program
and made plenty of concessions for me.
And still, I pushed back against him.
- I told you, I don't wanna go!
- Well, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, Ni'Cola.
Do you know what "in loco parentis" means?
- I don't speak Spanish.
- It's Latin.
And it means "In place of parent".
When you're with me, you're my responsibility.
- It was just a little asthma attack!
- That was more than a little. - I've had worse!
- Oh, good for you!
(scoffs)
I just wish you would stop being so damn selfish.
If something, God forbid, would've have happened to you,
what do you think would happen to Destani?
- I don't know. My mother? My sisters.
- She doesn't need another grandmother or an aunt,
what she needs is her mother.
When we first met, you said there was nothing
more important to you in this world than your daughter.
Start acting like it.
- I'm fine, really.
I just took my inhaler.
- This is about so much more
than just an asthma attack, Ni'Cola.
(sighs)
I've been meaning to ask you about college.
- What about it?
- Have you given it any more thought?
- I don't have the time or the money.
- There's always a million excuses, Ni'Cola,
but you owe it to your daughter,
you owe it to yourself.
- I'll think about it.
- Waste.
- Excuse me?
- I've seen hundreds, thousands of girls
come through this program.
I know I can't help them all.
I know I won't help them all.
Some, it's too late.
But do you know how many are as bright as you,
who can write like you can?
Face it, kid, you're special.
And if you don't go to college,
if you don't be all that you can be,
then yeah, it's a waste!
(sighs)
Okay.
Let's get you taken care of.
(soft music)
(sighs gently)
You don't know how good it is to see you.
- You too.
- I wish I could've come to one of your events.
It's just so hard for me to get away.
Seems the older I get, the busier I am.
- It's okay.
- Although, I have read every article you've sent me.
Watched every news story.
I think we're friends on that Facebook.
(laughing)
Why are you here, Ni'Cola?
You're too busy to just stop in to say hi.
- I need advice.
(inhales shakily)
From the outside,
Girls Who Brunch looks like a huge success.
- And from the inside?
(sighs)
- Some things are really good.
You know we are... we are reaching these girls,
and I stay in touch with them.
They know that they can contact me if they need anything.
I call them my babies.
(chuckling)
But financially, we're suffering.
I could never have imagined it would be so hard
to get donations.
And I've already spent too much of my own money...
money that I need for Destani's college,
and for Diamond's medicine.
- Diamond, is she okay? - She's fine.
It's just her asthma.
The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
(chuckling) - So, tell me,
what do you need?
- I told you, advice!
What should I do?
(chuckling)
- I could never tell you what to do.
- I have cancer.
- And?
- Excuse me?
- What do you want me to say?
I'm sorry?
- Well, yes.
- You know I'm sorry.
My heart breaks for you, Ni'Cola,
but you don't need my sympathy.
What you need is a reminder.
(exhales sharply)
- A reminder?
- A reminder...
that even though you're tired,
you're beyond exhausted,
that you are a fighter, Ni'Cola.
You've overcome worse,
and this too shall pass.
- It's so ha-- It's just so hard!
- I know it's hard.
Cancer is no walk in the park for anyone,
but you are made of tough stuff.
And you have so much to fight for.
You've built a beautiful life
although these cards have been stacked against you.
Look at everything you've had to overcome.
Going to school as a teenage mother.
Writing your first novel.
Becoming a publishing success.
You're resilient.
You defy the odds.
- I don't know about that.
- Well, I do.
There's your advice.
(soft music)
(phone ringing, vibrating)
(clicks tongue)
- Hey!
- Is it true?
- Sweetheart...
- I said, is it true?
- I guess you've been talking to your sister.
- How could you not tell me, Mama?
- Destani...
you know, I just found out myself.
- This is the kind of news
where you call me from the doctor's office.
- For what? To worry you?
- I'm coming home.
- Destani, you stay at school.
- You're always helping everyone else!
Why can't you let us help you?
- Listen, baby...
I'm not even home.
- What? Where are you?
- I'm in Reno. I was just visiting a...
an old friend.
(scoffs)
- Should you be t-traveling in your... condition?
- Well, I'm not an invalid! (scoffs)
Look...
at the end of the semester,
I will buy a ticket, okay?
Then you come home, and you'll see...
I'm doing just fine.
- Mama?
- Yeah, baby?
- I love you.
- I love you, too!
(sighs heavily)
(upbeat music)
(Ni'Cola): I was always a fighter.
Ready to face any challenge head on.
And I'd always been a good writer.
So, when Nene dared me to actually try
and write a novel, I couldn't resist.
They say write what you know.
And that's exactly what I did.
The story was inspired by all my past
romantic relationships.
Like everything else in my life,
it wasn't easy,
but I won that bet.
I guess you could say that I won it two-fold.
My book "Over and Over Again"
became a best-seller.
- I... can't believe it.
My sister, an author.
A real author!
(giggles) - Of course!
I had to win that bet.
- Well, I knew you needed a little something
to inspire you.
- Nothing like a little sisterly competition.
(laughing) - Exactly.
And this is just the beginning, you know.
- Hmm.
- Come on, Nicki, I know you better than you know yourself.
You are not gonna stop at a single book.
- Well, I do have some other ideas.
- Mm-hmm!
And when this one becomes a success,
you will have more time to work on the next one.
- Yeah but...
I don't only want it to be my success.
- What do you mean?
- I wanna help other writers.
- Help them how?
- Get them in print.
I could start a publishing company for women like me.
- I gotta say, Nicki,
when you dream, you certainly dream big.
Hey! (laughing)
- And I was dreaming if I thought my battle
with cancer could be fought alone.
Turns out I needed my family now more than ever.
- I was thinking...
that we could have jambalaya for dinner tonight.
But maybe something a little lighter?
(sighs)
Nicki... - I don't... I don't think
I can keep anything down.
- Hmm.
Here.
(soft, tense music)
Better?
- I don't know how long I can do this for.
(breathes deeply)
I know I just feel weaker and weaker.
- You are gonna be okay.
I promise.
- I love you.
(soft guitar music)
(sighs)
(♪♪)
(phone chimes)
(laughing)
(sighs)
(crying)
(laughing)
(phone beeps)
- The tests are back.
They're looking good. Very good.
- You serious?
- I'm serious.
(gasps) - What does this mean?
- Well, we'll continue to monitor you, of course,
with annual tests,
but I see no reason to anticipate a setback.
Ni'Cola... - Yeah?
- You beat this.
(exclaims joyfully)
(laughing)
(sighs deeply)
- You're looking a lot better.
- I'm feeling a lot better.
(laughs happily)
(sighs)
- I still can't believe we did all this.
(scoffs) - You did this all this!
- Mm-mm. - Mm-hmm.
- No. I would not have been able to do this
without you, Diamond, and the whole team.
(sighs)
- We've come a long way.
If those teachers...
if those kids from Las Vegas could see you now?
They wouldn't believe it.
- No, they wouldn't.
(chuckling)
(sighs)
- Nicki, I always knew that you'd be fine.
I knew it in my heart.
- Mm-hmm.
- The things that you are doing for these girls...
if we had something like this when we were kids.
- Mm.
- I am so proud of you.
I love you.
- I love you.
(chuckling)
(soft music)
- Mama?
Mama!
- Yes?
(footsteps approaching)
What are you hollering about?
I was about to take a shower.
- L'Oréal Paris just named you
one of this year's Women of Worth!
- I'll be honest, it was nice to win,
but it wasn't the award itself that meant so much to me.
People were finally beginning to understand
and appreciate what we were doing.
And coming up, we had a chance
to show the world what we were really about.
(upbeat music)
(indistinct chatter)
Since I was still recovering,
the doctors wanted me to rest.
I didn't want anyone to know how sore and exhausted I was
after the cancer treatment,
because I needed to be at the gala.
So, I forced myself to attend.
(♪)
- How you feeling, Mama?
- Fine.
- You know, I think...
that this is our most successful event yet.
(chuckling)
- Is the STEM speaker here?
- Yep, she's getting set up now.
- What about the dance crew? - They're on the way.
They're just ahead of schedule, so we're gonna have them
chill out in one of the rooms for a while.
- Okay. And uh...
you know, there was supposed to be a snow cone maker.
- Yeah, it blew a fuse. But it's being replaced.
It's gonna be up and running soon. Do not worry.
- Okay, how are the girls?
- Are you kidding me?
Mom, they're loving every minute of it.
- I'm just gonna check-- - No! No, Mama! Just relax.
(scoffs)
(♪)
- Shana!
- Miss Ni'Cola.
I didn't think you'd remember me.
- Of course, I remember you, baby, how are you?
- I'm good. I'm real good.
- Come here! Oh!
You look good!
How are things at home?
- I moved out.
- Well, I am so happy you're here.
- Well, I saw on your website that you'd be in town.
And it's really not that far.
I didn't know how to thank you.
So, I figured, what better way than in person?
- Thank me?
For a ride home? (giggles)
- For everything I am today.
I'm going to college.
The first in my family to do so.
(clicks tongue) Hell, the first on my block
to do so.
(chuckles happily)
And if it wasn't for the event in Charleston,
I never would've had the courage.
I would've never even had the desire.
(clicks tongue)
- I am so proud of you.
- Uh... hello. Hello, everyone.
If Ni'Cola Mitchell is out there?
Uh, Ni'Cola Mitchell?
- I will be right back. Okay?
- Ni'Cola Mitchell?
- Have fun. Talk to the girls.
(indistinct chatter and laughter)
(chuckling) - There she is.
I would like to introduce a woman
I have known a long time.
In fact, my entire life.
The woman responsible for all of this,
and who I am proud to call Mama.
I know she has a few words she would love to say to you.
Ni'Cola Mitchell.
(cheering, applause)
- Thank you, Diamond.
And thank you, everyone.
And to our partners,
and our sponsors,
we appreciate you more than you could ever imagine.
(cheering, applause)
(sighs) When I came up
with the concept for Girls Who Brunch...
I never dreamed it could be this big.
To date,
we've traveled to dozens of cities,
and reached thousands of girls.
(cheering, applause)
But no matter how big we become,
what's most important to me is that
we have never strayed from our core mission
to show girls
all across the world...
that no matter who you are...
No matter where you come from...
you matter.
You matter!
And if you believe in yourself...
(clicks tongue)
there is nothing...
nothing that you can't accomplish!
(cheering, applause)
- Woo!
(upbeat dance music)
(sighs)
- Excuse me, Ni'Cola?
- Yes?
- I am Jacqueline Nelson.
I'm the Senior Vice-President of The Home Store.
I handle all the sponsorships.
- Oh. - Mm-hmm.
I can't tell you how impressed I am
with all of this. It's incredible!
- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.
- Um... I don't mean to cut you off,
but um, I actually reached out to The Home Store
when I was first getting Girls Who Brunch off the ground.
- Oh, I had no idea! - Yeah.
I was actually looking for sponsorship dollars,
but The Home Store told me they would not be interested.
- Hmm.
I don't know who you spoke to,
but I can tell you this,
The Home Store is very interested
in working with you and your organization.
- Well, what do you have in mind?
- For starters, we'd like for you to accept this donation.
And when it's convenient for you,
perhaps we can, you know, brainstorm for creative ways
to collaborate.
- Okay. Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
- Is this for real? (chuckling)
- Like I said, we're very interested in working with you.
(chuckles happily)
(cheering, applause)
(Ni'Cola): I guess they did wanna work with me,
because the check was for more than I could've imagined.
And it went to good use.
Girls Who Brunch is now bigger than ever.
We have more recognition,
more partnerships, and more money.
And yet, people ask me why I still do it.
So, I tell them...
I tell them what I've always believed,
if you can save one girl,
you've saved the world.
(upbeat music)
Subtitling: difuze