Sherika Rimmer-Higgins, a native of Attala County was chosen to the Women’s Policy Institute, a program of the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi designed to train Mississippi community-based leaders in public policy advocacy.
Rimmer-Higgins was chosen based off her depth of experience in being able to articulate content knowledge or interest in improving the health outcomes of women and children, her ability to work with others in a diverse and innovative setting where there may be varying interests, backgrounds, and lived experiences, her commitment to policy advocacy work in which she had to demonstrate the value of learning about state policy to her current work, individual community needs, the broader social justice movement, and her own future work with her nonprofit, SheCor Cares.
Rimmer-Higgins started SheCor Cares, a 501 (c)(3) approved nonprofit organization, in 2013 to help communities be the best they can be academically, physically, civically, economically, mentally, spiritually and culturally. The mission of SheCor Cares is to use God-given talents and gifts to advance, recover and strengthen lives in ongoing ways by enlisting cohesive, locally developed tools for individual growth and development. The organization members believe that viability comes from having a strong faith and trust in God. In turn, this will help to build the competence of individuals and communities to evaluate and manage their needs adequately. Another belief of SheCor Cares is that the key to improving lives starts with a commitment to the word of God which will aid in developing, sharing and applying knowledge.
Lastly, the organization believes that with God's help, partnering with government, other non-profit organizations, the private sector and other groups and communities will lead to continued measurable success. SheCor Cares has signature missions in which they have developed blueprints to aid in the systemic problems of child trafficking, police brutality, helping young males control their anger, and helping domestic violence survivors mend themselves. Breast cancer awareness, elder care and diabetes awareness are the three health initiatives of the organization.
“SheCor Cares is my baby; my creative child; it is in totality the reason I exist on this Earth. My calling is to help people and when I discovered my calling at the age of 20, I knew that I could help people in a variety of ways and careers, but I chose to create this nonprofit so that I could help those in my community and beyond,” said Rimmer-Higgins.
The goal of the Mississippi Women’s Policy Institute (WPI) is to increase the number and capacity of visionary leaders, their organizations, and/or their communities so they can actively shape and implement policies that affect the lives of women in Mississippi and add experienced voices to women’s health policy discussions in our state. Through a comprehensive training program, WPI will introduce women to policy making and policy priorities for women’s health and equip them with skills needed to participate in the process, including but not limited to public speaking, persuasion, and managing conflict. The institute equips fellows to influence healthcare-related policies that make Mississippi a more just and equitable place. During the course of 8 months, the fellows chosen to WPI meet monthly during a retreat to learn about the functions of various elected positions and the policy making process by working on a women’s and children’s health policy issue, including but not limited to maternal, infant, and child health outcomes that intersect with economic security.
“I have learned so much already from being a part of the prestigious institute. They teach us how to advocate with a clear mind and vision rather than with emotion and resentment. I already possessed some knowledge of how legislation and politics works due to having been elected to the Mississippi Democratic Committee where I was nominated and chosen to be the chair of the Young Democrats of Mississippi years ago. WPI teaches us the whole legislative process. This is more of an honor than just an opportunity because the strength and encouragement I get from the three administrators of the institute – Ms. Paheadra Robinson, Mrs. Alicia Netterville, and Mrs. Frances Croft is sensational. They are like the Charlie’s Angels of Mississippi legislative and advocacy work,” Rimmer-Higgins.
Afforded the opportunity to participate in the institute has also provided Higgins the chance to work with Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable (MSBWR), an organization Higgins has wanted to work with for quite some time. The Roundtable shifts power at the voting booth and policy table. The organization is a statewide intergenerational network dedicated to advancing women’s economic security through policy advocacy, increasing civic engagement and voter participation among black women and girls, developing transformational leaders for long-term movement building, and engaging in community outreach and rapid response projects.
“This whole journey has been a blessing. God has opened these doors to work with some amazing women with WPI to now the resilient Mrs. Cassandra Welchlin and Robin Jackson. I have wanted to work with MSBWR for about 2 years now. The Women’s Foundation of MS and the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable both are focused on some of the same issues that align with of that of SheCor Cares such as equal justice, domestic violence, and civic engagement. I feel as though it is God’s way of showing me that this is what I am supposed to be doing,” added Rimmer-Higgins.
Rimmer-Higgins, a Consumer Safety Inspector for the government, is a certified Community Health Education Instructor; a certified Program Infrastructure Manager; and a certified Grant Proposal writer. She is also the Founder and CEO of Edible Smarts, a food safety and environmental health consulting firm where she is the Chief Public Health Consultant with certifications as a ServSafe Instructor and Proctor and in environmental land and water use. Mrs. Rimmer-Higgins resides in the Oak Grove community right outside of Hattiesburg with her family.
Rimmer-Higgins can reached at info@shecorcares.org if you want to work with her or propose any programs SheCor Cares could possibly do. Also visit https://www.shecorcares.org/ for more information about SheCor Cares and how Rimmer-Higgins is helping communities. More information on the Women’s Foundation of MS can be found at https://womensfoundationms.org/ and Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable can be found at https://msbwr.org/.
