Hollywood has a storied love affair with depicting white children as brilliant and mature beyond their years, from “Doogie Howser, MD” to “Young Sheldon” and countless others. But Houston has its own real-life version in the person of soul sister Shekira Dennis, founder and CEO of Next Wave Strategies, a consulting firm that’s all about political and community empowerment.
Like the fictional Doogie Howser and Young Sheldon, Shekira was a different kind of child who was fascinated by all things politics. Dennis was seeking her path in that space while her elementary school classmates were working to master their ABCs.
The Defender spoke with Dennis about how she found her lane as a behind-the-scene dynamo who helps individuals and entities develop strategies to maximize their political and community engagement.
Defender: When I think of Shekira Dennis, the first thing I think about is politics. Am I wrong for that?
Dennis: No, you’re not. I think that’s primarily from my involvement on the local level stemming from my roots at Texas Southern University. I was involved in the Student Government Association, and worked on several local campaigns. So many naturally attribute my engagement solely to the political space. However, my firm has branched out to do so much more on the public engagement front, specifically working with government agencies and various entities to help them craft sustainable impact strategies in the community. But nothing wrong with being associated with the political space as I still advise campaigns, and lead outreach efforts in the Black community.
Defender: What does your work at Next Wave Strategies look like?
Dennis: We specialize in political strategy and public engagement. We work closely with nonprofits, corporations, candidates, elected officials and government agencies to shape their community outreach strategy and community engagement efforts in communities of color.
Defender: You mentioned branching out beyond politics. Why is that important to you?
Dennis: I think when it comes to politics, there is certainly a bit of apathy regarding the process which can oftentimes be convoluted and discouraging for many. I also think as we get closer to the community and gain a more in depth understanding as to why some people don’t participate in the process, it’s all issue-centric. We have worked on several issues, from voting rights to environmental justice, and increasing civic participation among our most vulnerable populations.
Defender: Is this work what 8-year-old Shekira Dennis was running around dreaming of doing?
Dennis: That’s funny. So, when I was younger, I had a heightened political interest, but I didn’t have a 100% understanding of where I fit in this process. I also knew that I was interested in the mechanics of government, how it impacts people and communities on a local, national and global scale.
Defender: What excites you most about what you do?
Dennis: I think just being able to work across the political and public engagement sphere. And also being a young woman, under the age of 40, doing this work – the youngest Black consultant in our city right now. And really just building my firm from the ground up is something that I’m incredibly proud of. Every day I get to wake up and do what I love and fully embrace the outcomes of my daily work. That’s something that I’ve always been passionate about. I never wanted to run for office or just do one thing. I wanted to demonstrate that we had versatility and also staying power. Since I established my firm in 2019, we’ve been going strong for the last five years, cycle after cycle, just doing our best work and creating an example for future generations.
Defender: Have there been any challenges you’ve had to overcome related to you the fact that you’re a young Black woman?
Dennis: That is it in and of itself; just being a young ambitious Black woman, having my mind made up and determined to do my work without adhering to societal standards regarding how black women should show up. I have grown tremendously over the years from effectively navigating ageism, misogyny, and structural racism. I didn’t let those things discourage me, instead they served as fuel for me to keep building and growing at my own pace. My ultimate goal is to serve as a vessel of influence and empowerment for the next generation to bring their voices and perspectives to the civic and political landscape. I think in order to do that I have to remain resilient and be a good example of what’s possible in this space when you show up as yourself coupled with an irrefutable body of work in the community.
Defender: What experience tuned your childhood antennas to politics?
Dennis: I grew up just kind of watching local government happenings which naturally heightened my curiosity. When I was a kid, Lee Brown was running for Mayor. I was living in Missouri City and I would see signs and hear more about different local campaigns, and that piqued my interest. Also, my first cousin was a political science major, she attended Pomona College on an academic scholarship. She was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college. I had a great example around me to kind of help fortify what I wanted to do long term. Obviously, I didn’t think I was going to be a political consultant at eight years old, but I did have positive influences in my life to encourage me along my journey.
Defender: What organizations, campaigns, or issues that you worked on really stand out?
Dennis: I would say my work with the Harris County Attorney’s Office was fun. I say it was fun, but it was also incredibly impactful. We have a great leader in our Harris County Attorney, Christian Menefee, and our firm helped to shape public engagement strategies, hosted his community conversations, and helped folks get a little bit more in tune with what was happening in our community as it pertained to environmental justice issues. So, I absolutely love the work we were able to do with him as a formal government agency, and to see a young Black man in that capacity, as well. And to call on younger, Black consultants to help him shape out his vision. Also loved working with Black Voters Matter on the ground with their expansion work to register and mobilize voters. That’s been some incredible work that we’ve done since they decided to expand here in Texas, which I think is incredibly important because for the longest we haven’t had a shop that’s Black-led and run that’s really committed to nurturing and supporting Black voters. And not just by way of voter registration, but by way of voter education, issue forums, candidate forums. And last, but certainly not least, the Texas Black Action Fund. They’re a table that works to micro-grant and fund Black-led organizations to help us build stronger infrastructure across the state of Texas. We’re home to the most African American people in the country, but we don’t have the infrastructure that reflects such. So, doing that meaningful, long-term, sustainable work is something I really love.
