After 32 years of managing the workshop center at the Highlander Center, Nina Reining has retired. We offer our deepest appreciation to Nina for her years of hard work and dedicated service to Highlander and movement people around the world.
Feeding people great food on time, meal after meal, for over 30 years is a monumental feat. Even when the electricity went out or the pipes broke or the number who showed up was twice what she expected, Nina Reining always delivered.
But that’s not all. Nina’s cut to the chase insights were great contributions to Highlander as an organization and to Highlander’s work. Nina came to Highlander from working in a factory, and she was a strong voice for working-class people of all races, as well as a staunch ally for lesbigaytrans equality. She was instrumental in helping Highlander move forward on homophobia and heterosexism internally and integrating lesbigaytrans equality into Highlander’s work in the region.
We plan to celebrate Nina in multiple ways over the coming months, the first at Homecoming this September 5th. Here are two ways we hope you will participate.
1) Write a check – Highlander and friends want to help Nina take a Dream trip. She wants donations in her name to support the work of Highlander. So we are collecting contributions to do both. Unless otherwise indicated, each gift will be split between a Travel Fund for Nina to take a dream trip and Highlander’s ongoing work. You can send a check by mail or make a contribution online. Either way, please be sure to mark the donation – Nina Reining.
2) Write your thoughts – We are presenting Nina with a scrapbook of your greetings, wishes, poems, drawings or favorite story. You can email your thoughts to coleman@highlandercenter.org, post them here on our blog, or drop them in the mail to us at 1959 Highlander Way, New Market, TN 37820.
Please make your donation and get your words to us by September 3rd so we can present them to Nina at Homecoming. You can also write your greetings at the Homecoming event itself.
From all of us – Thank you again, Nina!
Yay, Nina!!!!! I’ll be emailing thoughts to Christie. Wish I could be there to celebrate with y’all. Much love and solidarity with and to Nina…
Nina
Thanks for those numerous times I showed up at Highlander in late December or an early summer day and you invited me into the kitchen or bookstore or library- especially those winters after a cold drive from Minnesota. Thanks for your leadership and support these many years. You will be missed
Walter