| Nia Faith Betty | |
| Birth Name: | Nia Faith Betty |
| Birth Date: | October 6, 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Education: | Howard University |
| Occupation: | Fashion designer, activist |
| Years Active: | 2019–present |
Nia Faith Betty (born October 6, 2001) is a Canadian activist, fashion designer, and the co-founder of Révolutionnaire, a digital social network for changemakers and a clothing line to celebrate diversity.[1]
In November 2019, in her first year at Howard University, Betty founded Révolutionnaire as a dance wear line catering to dancers of color, the first in Canada.[2] Betty grew up in the professional ballet world and was considered a prodigy who moved to the United States to train at New York City's Joffrey Ballet School at the age of 14.[3] During her time at Joffrey, Betty was featured in Awesomeness TV's Joffrey Elite. Two years later, in 2017, Betty suffered from a nearly career-ending injury that left her on bed rest for several months.[4]
During her time on bed rest, Betty began sketching and designing a dancewear line catering to dancers of color, inspired by her own journey of growing up as a Black ballerina and never having access to apparel that matched her skin tone and having to dye her dancewear for the majority of her career.[4] When Betty met Misty Copeland in 2014 and learned that Copeland also dyed her apparel and accessories due to a lack of diversity in dancewear, Betty became inspired to create her own.[5]
In 2019, Betty began her first semester at historically black Howard University, in Washington, D.C.[6] At Howard, Betty launched Révolutionnaire several weeks later at the age of 17 with a line of branded tee shirts which later expanded into Canada's first skin-toned dancewear and accessories for people of color.[5]
In the summer of 2020, Betty entered a unique partnership with the Canadian Heritage brand Roots which included a two-part collaboration between Roots and Révolutionnaire taking part over eight months.[7] The first phase of the collaboration launched on February 5, 2021, with Betty's sister being announced as co-founder of the company the same week. The collaboration featured a t-shirt with the phrase "Dreams Fuel Revolutions" on it and sold out in under 24 hours.[8] Proceeds from the collection were donated to Canada's Black Academy to amplify young Black talent across the country.[9] The second collaboration launched on October 19, 2021, with a leather jacket, leather bag, two statement t-shirts and six co-branded hoodies and sweatpants.[8] In the midst of this, Betty launched an online platform for young people to engage in social change.[10]
As someone with a lifelong involvement in activism, Betty decided to expand her organization to be more social justice-focused.[11] Betty worked with her sister and co-founder of Révolutionnaire, Justice Faith Betty to evolve Révolutionnaire with a social justice arm, creating a social network for activists. The sisters onboarded a team of over 30 young North American activists.[12] The sisters along with their team worked to build out a dedicated platform for young people to learn about causes of interest, connect with like-minded citizens, and take action across social causes. Since launching in June 2021, the social network has gained members from Ghana, Uganda, Mexico, Turkey, Jordan, Canada, and the United States.[13]