Nate Looney

As a Black Jew, it was such an honor to have been included with so many gadolim in this important and timely conversation about Black and Jewish Americans. First episode airs tonight! BLACK AND JEWISH AMERICA: AN INTERWOVEN HISTORY, the latest series from @HenryLouisGates , premieres tonight! Join us as we explore the deeply intertwined histories of Black and Jewish Americans and the stories that have connected these two communities across generations. We encourage you to tune in and learn more Tuesday, February 3 at 9/8c on @pbs . #BlackandJewishAmerica #InterwovenHistoryPBS

Two Sundays ago I ran the Los Angeles Marathon. I hadn’t trained as hard as I could have, but the basement gym in my building became my best friend. Longest run: 8 miles. People doubted me. I didn’t. I was finishing 26.2 …even if I had to crawl. This wasn’t random. I promised my cousin Baby Jr I’d run a marathon with him back in 10th grade. I didn’t get to make good on it while he was alive, but I carried his memory with me every step of the way. Last summer I decided to tighten up my life. Stop talking about the man I wanted to be and start becoming him. This race was part of that. First 15 miles, I was way in my head…perfection, pacing, overthinking. But I wasn’t out there alone. I wrangled my brother from another mother to run it too. Pit crew at miles 8 and 18. Voice notes at every mile—some motivating, some hilarious. All kept me moving. Then mile 21 hit. The dreaded “wall” Hot sun. Phone dead. No playlist. No voice notes. Knees screaming. Blisters on both feet. In the quiet everything simplified, everything got clear….just effing keep moving. Last mile, someone yelled: “Who’s gonna carry the boat?” A Goggins line. The fuel I needed. Everything I had left, I poured into that last stretch. Leaving nothing in the tank. I crossed the finish line strong. My crew was there…loud, proud, cheering me on. Beyond grateful. I honored a promise. I tested my limits and I came out stronger on the other side. Time for the next challenge….

Celebrating Excellence: Meet Our Second 2026 JQ Impact Awards Honoree Nate Looney: JQ Trailblazer Award Nate’s history with JQ is one of deep service and structural impact, currently serving as a dedicated member of the JQ Board of Directors. He has been instrumental in leading high-impact initiatives, including the 2025 LGBTQ missions to Israel, which provided critical space for queer Jewish leaders to connect with their identity and the global community. By developing programs like the JOC Bayit, Nate has created actual physical and communal spaces where emerging leaders of Color can find mentorship and a sense of home. Nate is receiving the JQ Trailblazer Award for his tireless work in elevating the voices of LGBTQ+ Jews and Jews of Color within the national Jewish institutional landscape. Nate has a unique ability to drive structural change, influence policy, and shift culture across major organizations to better reflect the diversity of modern Jewish life. His leadership is a testament to the power of bridge-building, and he embodies the innovative spirit that this award was designed to celebrate. The JQ Impact Awards is more than just a celebration; it is a moment to pause and recognize the visionary leaders who move our community toward a more inclusive, just, and vibrant future. Your generosity ensures that JQ can continue to build a more inclusive Jewish future. Whether you choose to sponsor the event or place a tribute in our digital journal, your contribution makes a direct impact. Visit jqinternational.org/impactawards to sponsor, buy tickets, take out an ad, or donate.

8 miles on the beach path. Just me and the pavement. I didn’t quit. Not because it was easy. Not because it looked good. Not because anyone was watching. Because I said I would and I did. This season is about discipline. Quiet reps. Honest effort. Showing up when it’s hard. Doing the work when no one is looking. Every step changes what is possible. Every mile proves consistency wins. Every time I push through I get closer to the person I’m becoming. Unrecognizable.

2025 forced me to take a more honest look at myself. Not in a dramatic way, and not on anyone else’s timeline. It showed me where I’ve been undisciplined, where I’ve been negotiating with discomfort, and where I’ve been holding onto identities that no longer match the man I’m trying to become. I learned that discipline is not about intensity or motivation, but about doing the work when there’s no feedback, no momentum, and no external reward. It’s about building structure when no one is watching and staying with it when the results are slow. I also spent time sitting with loneliness instead of trying to outrun it. That experience clarified what I actually value, how I want to show up in my relationships, and where I’ve been avoiding responsibility for my own life. This year required me to let go of shortcuts, borrowed timelines, and the need to be seen as further along than I really was. It demanded patience, restraint, and a willingness to stay committed without guarantees. I’m ending the year more grounded, more accountable, and more serious about the direction I’m moving in. There’s no big reveal, just steady forward motion. Every step I take rewrites what’s possible.

Months of research, collaboration, and constant refining, that’s what led to this week. Our council teams built their ideas piece by piece: interviews, late-night meetings, rewrites, feedback loops, and the kind of teamwork you only get when people truly care. Now it’s pitch week, and we finally get to see those ideas take shape. So very proud of all teams and our VOP council!

Army days….Discipline, resilience, and the people who shaped me. Respect to my battle buddies and all veterans today. Photo: Superdome 2005

41 today…. 40 schooled me big time, but I’m grateful for all of the lessons. I learned a lot about myself, my community and what it means to work towards building a better future for all. Here are 10 things I learned during my 40th rotation around the sun. 1. Seek gratitude every day. There’s always something to complain about, but retraining your brain to find the good pays lifelong dividends. 2. I am my biggest critic, and sometimes it’s a good idea to tell that internal judge to shut the eff up and take a seat. 3. A council of 5 is crucial. Double down on the relationships with the five people who truly matter most. 4. Who you are today is not who you’ll be tomorrow. Commit to continuous growth and don’t let the days you fall short pull you down. 5. Relationships change as we evolve. Cherish the moments, grieve the losses, and take nothing for granted. 6. Listening to your intuition is a muscle. The more you nurture it, the stronger it gets. 7. Guys, be grateful for your current hairline. It’s only going to be further back next year 😂 8. Put the phone on airplane mode and nurture your mind in real life. The world will still be a dumpster fire when you tap back in, but your nervous system will thank you. 9. Do the thing that scares you most. That’s where your future self is waiting. 10. Goals and dreams are daunting on their own. Build a three-year strategic plan and visit it often. Here’s to year 41. More peace, more purpose, more growth. #BirthdayReflections #GrowthMindset #NatesGrowthLab

We said our goodbyes to granny yesterday. The church was packed to celebrate a life well lived. Our family lost our matriarch, our source of laughter and our glue. I interviewed granny about two years ago. People are always so fascinated by my story, but as I’m being interviewed I’d always think she was the one worth listening to. Our hour long conversation didn’t begin to capture the magnitude of this giant. This is a rough cut that was played at her funeral. I promise to upload the full interview when I can bring myself to make the proper edits. Capture the stories from your elders before it is too late. Last thing granny told me in the hospital was that she wanted me to do what I want to do. Well granny, I’m figuring it out and with your blessing and spirit in my ear, we will go far.

New Event series alert: KOLOT | קולות 📣 Stories in every shade of Jewish. We’re kicking off a new space for raw, real, and personal stories of Jewish identity, told by the people living them. First up: a powerful conversation centering the voices of Jews of Color, featuring our very own council members 🎤 Nate Looney - @nategrows 🎤 Paula Pretlow - @ppretlow 🎤 Kasturi Anderson - @kasturiworld Hosted by VOP Team Member Zehava Tesfay Link in bio to register 🗓️ Sunday, July 27 🕖 7:00 PM Israel / 12 PM ET #vopofficial #jewsofcolor #Judaism #jewish #Israel

This world lost a giant on Friday. My grandmother was a true force of nature and a badass. I got my love of travel from her. She was always on a plane or a roadtrip somewhere. My dedication to physical fitness came from her. My grandmother would walk five miles a day and was doing yoga from before I was born. I get my low key love of science from her, granny was soldering motherboards before some of y’all were born. She always maintained a healthy diet and she made time for friends and family. She was a social maven. Her phone was the hotline and if you wanted to pay her a visit, you’d better get on the calendar or run the risk of her not being home. She was dearly loved and will be remembered for her light and her laugh and her joy and her love. I am grateful that I was able to return from Israel in time to spend time with her in her final weeks. The last thing she said to me was “I want you to do what you want to do.” I hope to continue to make her proud. Job well done, Granny. Now rest! We’ve got the watch from here. 💙

Four hours of sleep between celebration and chaos. We’d just celebrated the conclusion of the 2025 Pride Mission to Israel - everything we’d worked tirelessly for had come together perfectly. I was riding the high of what felt like moving mountains. Then I woke up to air raid sirens. Here’s what I know about staying calm in chaos: It’s not about being fearless. It’s about being prepared. It’s about trusting your team. It’s about leading through uncertainty with the clarity that comes from experience. Hurricane Katrina taught me how systems collapse. Iraq taught me how to operate when everything’s unpredictable. But this? This was different because I wasn’t just soldier - I was leading nearly 80 civilians. As a Black, Jewish, transgender veteran, I’ve learned that intersectional leadership means holding multiple truths at once: The celebration AND the crisis. The gratitude AND the gravity. The individual strength AND the collective power. Because let me be crystal clear - I didn’t do this alone. That would have been impossible. Our Israel team was flawless. Our funders stepped up without hesitation. Our community held us through every decision. Leadership isn’t about being the hero - it’s about orchestrating the collective strength that gets everyone home. There was never a question of WHETHER we’d make it out. Only WHEN. That’s what authentic leadership looks like when the world shifts in four hours. One week later, I’m still processing….More to come…