Giving Hope: The Ni'cola Mitchell Story (2023) Movie Script
1
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.
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.
All right.
All right. Hey...
Your readers love you, Nicki.
You are a queen.
Mmm!
Oh, I'm sorry,
I didn't mean to scare you.
I wasn't scared.
Hmm.
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.
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...
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."
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.
Thank you.
Whew! I am so tired!
You're tired?
- Yeah!
- You slept the whole way home!
That's the good thing about
you driving, I can get my rest!
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.
If you say so.
I have so much on my plate,
I didn't even wanna go
to that signing thing.
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.
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.
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.
Nene!
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.
We know what we want to do,
reach at-risk girls
and inspire them.
But how to do it,
that's the question.
Okay.
Okay.
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.
Morning Tete.
Oh, morning, Diamond. Mm!
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,
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!
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.
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...
Back to Jamaica?
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.
Hey!
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.
The light that guides?
That sounds creepy.
Uh-huh.
How about
"Helping Girls Reach
Their Full Potential"?
Uh...'kay.
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!
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.
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.
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.
- What's wrong, Mama?
- Nothing. Really!
Hey, tell me.
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.
Hey,
we will be okay, Mama.
Once this takes off...
we'll be okay.
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.
I hate you!
I hate you!
Excuse me, are you okay?
Who was that?
No one.
My boyfriend.
Ex-boyfriend.
Did he hurt you?
Nah.
Just yelled at me.
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.
Actually...
What are you doing tomorrow?
I didn't get much sleep
that night.
Or I should say,
I got less than usual.
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.
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!
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!
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!
If...
you're willing to dance!
DJ!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Ni'Cola.
You're a very pretty girl.
Oh, I am...
I just came to church.
I can see that.
Come on in.
Come on. Let's go.
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.
I... really
have to g-go.
Don't worry.
It's our little secret.
Please, don't!
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?
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?
Mm... sparkling apple juice.
Wait.
To you, Mama.
To us.
To Girls Who Brunch!
Ah!
Hmm.
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?
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.
Watch your mouth.
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.
Diamond.
Hmm?
Thank you.
For what?
For being you.
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.
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.
Real help.
This thing is blowin' up.
Hey, Mama!
Hi, Tete Nene!
Hey!
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?
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.
Okay.
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.
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.
- Mama?
- What?
What, um... what time is it?
No, you're not
working too hard.
I just fell asleep.
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.
Mm-mm. Diamond, I'm tired.
Come on! Dancing makes
everything better.
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?
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.
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.
Girl!
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.
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.
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.
Hey, baby. How ya doin'?
Hey, Tete Nene.
Where's Mama?
She fell asleep upstairs.
What're you doing?
What do you think?
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.
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.
Okay, I'm taking over.
Go and do your homework.
And just so you know...
we did have it tough.
Tougher than you, at least.
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.
Good night, Tete Nene.
Mmm.
Good night.
I love you, Diamond.
I love you, too.
Okay.
With a lot of
hard work and perseverance,
we finally raised enough money
for our next event
in Birmingham, Alabama.
Thank you.
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!
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.
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.
I hope you know
what you're doin'.
After enduring
a 23-hour labor,
my daughter, Destani,
mercifully arrived.
I knew...
I knew I was her mama.
Hey, Miss Popular!
Where're your friends at?
Mama!
- 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.
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.
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.
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?
In the mood for anything?
Well, we are in Texas.
Anything other than barbeque
would be sacrilegious.
Good thing I know
the best place in town.
Ooh! Okay!
So, after Houston,
where are you off to?
Baby, if I told you,
you would never believe me.
That first year, we went
to so many different cities
that it's almost a blur.
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.
Thank you.
- Ugh!
- Okay, Mom, we need
to get you to a doctor.
Okay, okay.
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?
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.
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.
Okay.
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.
Hello, Girls Who Brunch.
- 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.
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.
Okay.
So, you must get your rest.
I mean it.
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.
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.
No, come here. Shh, shh, shh.
No. Mm-mm.
I don't want you to die.
Who said I'm gonna die?!
I'm not goin' anywhere!
I'm not gonna die!
- You promise?
- I promise!
Uh-uh. Okay.
Diamond...
I need you to be...
strong for me. Okay?
Okay.
Don't be scared.
I'm not scared. Come here.
Okay.
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.
No matter what.
Ni'Cola Mitchell,
as I live and breathe.
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.
May I ask why
you're unable to?
- My daughter.
- Ah, you have a daughter.
A toddler. Destani.
She's... my world.
And you live with her?
Yes, with my mother.
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!
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.
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!
Okay.
Let's get you taken care of.
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.
Why are you here, Ni'Cola?
You're too busy to just
stop in to say hi.
I need advice.
From the outside,
Girls Who Brunch
looks like a huge success.
And from the inside?
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.
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.
So, tell me,
what do you need?
I told you, advice!
What should I do?
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.
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.
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.
Should you be t-traveling
in your... condition?
Well, I'm not an invalid!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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?
Nicki...
I don't... I don't think
I can keep anything down.
Hmm.
Here.
Better?
I don't know how long
I can do this for.
I know I just feel
weaker and weaker.
You are gonna be okay.
I promise.
I love you.
I love you.
The tests are back.
They're looking good. Very good.
You serious?
I'm serious.
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.
You're looking a lot better.
I'm feeling a lot better.
I still can't believe
we did all this.
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.
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.
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.
Mama?
Mama!
Yes?
What are you hollering about?
I was about to take a shower.
L'Oral 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.
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.
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.
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?
For everything I am today.
I'm going to college.
The first in my family to do so.
Hell, the first on my block
to do so.
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.
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.
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.
Thank you, Diamond.
And thank you, everyone.
And to our partners,
and our sponsors,
we appreciate you more
than you could ever imagine.
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.
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...
there is nothing...
nothing that you
can't accomplish!
Woo!
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?
Like I said, we're very
interested in working with you.
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.
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.
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.
All right.
All right. Hey...
Your readers love you, Nicki.
You are a queen.
Mmm!
Oh, I'm sorry,
I didn't mean to scare you.
I wasn't scared.
Hmm.
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.
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...
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."
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.
Thank you.
Whew! I am so tired!
You're tired?
- Yeah!
- You slept the whole way home!
That's the good thing about
you driving, I can get my rest!
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.
If you say so.
I have so much on my plate,
I didn't even wanna go
to that signing thing.
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.
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.
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.
Nene!
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.
We know what we want to do,
reach at-risk girls
and inspire them.
But how to do it,
that's the question.
Okay.
Okay.
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.
Morning Tete.
Oh, morning, Diamond. Mm!
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,
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!
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.
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...
Back to Jamaica?
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.
Hey!
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.
The light that guides?
That sounds creepy.
Uh-huh.
How about
"Helping Girls Reach
Their Full Potential"?
Uh...'kay.
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!
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.
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.
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.
- What's wrong, Mama?
- Nothing. Really!
Hey, tell me.
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.
Hey,
we will be okay, Mama.
Once this takes off...
we'll be okay.
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.
I hate you!
I hate you!
Excuse me, are you okay?
Who was that?
No one.
My boyfriend.
Ex-boyfriend.
Did he hurt you?
Nah.
Just yelled at me.
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.
Actually...
What are you doing tomorrow?
I didn't get much sleep
that night.
Or I should say,
I got less than usual.
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.
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!
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!
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!
If...
you're willing to dance!
DJ!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Ni'Cola.
You're a very pretty girl.
Oh, I am...
I just came to church.
I can see that.
Come on in.
Come on. Let's go.
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.
I... really
have to g-go.
Don't worry.
It's our little secret.
Please, don't!
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?
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?
Mm... sparkling apple juice.
Wait.
To you, Mama.
To us.
To Girls Who Brunch!
Ah!
Hmm.
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?
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.
Watch your mouth.
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.
Diamond.
Hmm?
Thank you.
For what?
For being you.
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.
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.
Real help.
This thing is blowin' up.
Hey, Mama!
Hi, Tete Nene!
Hey!
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?
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.
Okay.
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.
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.
- Mama?
- What?
What, um... what time is it?
No, you're not
working too hard.
I just fell asleep.
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.
Mm-mm. Diamond, I'm tired.
Come on! Dancing makes
everything better.
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?
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.
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.
Girl!
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.
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.
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.
Hey, baby. How ya doin'?
Hey, Tete Nene.
Where's Mama?
She fell asleep upstairs.
What're you doing?
What do you think?
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.
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.
Okay, I'm taking over.
Go and do your homework.
And just so you know...
we did have it tough.
Tougher than you, at least.
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.
Good night, Tete Nene.
Mmm.
Good night.
I love you, Diamond.
I love you, too.
Okay.
With a lot of
hard work and perseverance,
we finally raised enough money
for our next event
in Birmingham, Alabama.
Thank you.
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!
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.
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.
I hope you know
what you're doin'.
After enduring
a 23-hour labor,
my daughter, Destani,
mercifully arrived.
I knew...
I knew I was her mama.
Hey, Miss Popular!
Where're your friends at?
Mama!
- 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.
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.
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.
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?
In the mood for anything?
Well, we are in Texas.
Anything other than barbeque
would be sacrilegious.
Good thing I know
the best place in town.
Ooh! Okay!
So, after Houston,
where are you off to?
Baby, if I told you,
you would never believe me.
That first year, we went
to so many different cities
that it's almost a blur.
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.
Thank you.
- Ugh!
- Okay, Mom, we need
to get you to a doctor.
Okay, okay.
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?
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.
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.
Okay.
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.
Hello, Girls Who Brunch.
- 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.
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.
Okay.
So, you must get your rest.
I mean it.
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.
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.
No, come here. Shh, shh, shh.
No. Mm-mm.
I don't want you to die.
Who said I'm gonna die?!
I'm not goin' anywhere!
I'm not gonna die!
- You promise?
- I promise!
Uh-uh. Okay.
Diamond...
I need you to be...
strong for me. Okay?
Okay.
Don't be scared.
I'm not scared. Come here.
Okay.
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.
No matter what.
Ni'Cola Mitchell,
as I live and breathe.
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.
May I ask why
you're unable to?
- My daughter.
- Ah, you have a daughter.
A toddler. Destani.
She's... my world.
And you live with her?
Yes, with my mother.
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!
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.
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!
Okay.
Let's get you taken care of.
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.
Why are you here, Ni'Cola?
You're too busy to just
stop in to say hi.
I need advice.
From the outside,
Girls Who Brunch
looks like a huge success.
And from the inside?
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.
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.
So, tell me,
what do you need?
I told you, advice!
What should I do?
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.
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.
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.
Should you be t-traveling
in your... condition?
Well, I'm not an invalid!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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?
Nicki...
I don't... I don't think
I can keep anything down.
Hmm.
Here.
Better?
I don't know how long
I can do this for.
I know I just feel
weaker and weaker.
You are gonna be okay.
I promise.
I love you.
I love you.
The tests are back.
They're looking good. Very good.
You serious?
I'm serious.
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.
You're looking a lot better.
I'm feeling a lot better.
I still can't believe
we did all this.
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.
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.
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.
Mama?
Mama!
Yes?
What are you hollering about?
I was about to take a shower.
L'Oral 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.
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.
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.
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?
For everything I am today.
I'm going to college.
The first in my family to do so.
Hell, the first on my block
to do so.
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.
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.
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.
Thank you, Diamond.
And thank you, everyone.
And to our partners,
and our sponsors,
we appreciate you more
than you could ever imagine.
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.
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...
there is nothing...
nothing that you
can't accomplish!
Woo!
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?
Like I said, we're very
interested in working with you.
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.