👠 “Buy the Building, Keep the Kids Safe”

Auntea: Ramona Greene ☕

Topic: Community, faith, hard love — and protecting the girls in our neighborhoods

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💌 Sugar Q: “Should I take AP even if my best friend didn’t get in?”

“Absolutely, sugar — go for it!” Ramona smiles. Your path may look different, but that doesn’t mean you left your people behind. She remembers her crew from high school — friends who went different ways but still shared their wins and their lessons.

💡 The Tea: 

Don’t dim your light for someone else’s comfort. Growing makes room for others to grow too. 🌱

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🏫 Sugar Q: “What was it like growing up in Southeast DC?”

Ramona is a proud Southeast girl — Fairlawn, right off Pennsylvania and Minnesota Ave. Big yards, pear trees, music on corners, neighbors who knew your family’s name. She remembers catching the 30 bus to get to School Without Walls and “dressing for success” because you never knew where life would take you.

💡 The Tea: 

Your zip code doesn’t define you — it prepares you. Every block, every bus ride is part of your story. ✨

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📚 Sugar Q: “Why do I have to take a foreign language?”

Ramona laughs — she learned French, Spanish, and even a little ASL. Speaking another language opened doors and helped her connect in places she wouldn’t otherwise reach — even while getting her hair braided at an African salon and understanding the conversation around her.

💡 The Tea:

Languages aren’t just schoolwork — they make you global. 🌍

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🏀 Sugar Q: “My family never comes to my games. Why don’t they want me to be great?”

“Whew, I feel that one,” Ramona says gently. Sometimes love looks different — parents might be working, helping family, or carrying responsibilities you don’t see. Look up: coaches, teammates, teachers — you might find your found family there.

💡 The Tea:  

Family isn’t only who raised you — it’s who shows up. Accept love where you find it. 💖

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🙏🏾 Sugar Q: “Is God real? How do you know?”

Faith is the evidence of things we can’t see, Ramona explains. For her, faith shows up in songs, gratitude, and the daily push to get up. That connection — God, source, spirit — keeps her steady.💅🏾

💡 The Tea: 

You don’t need all the answers to believe. Faith grows one small step at a time. 🌤️

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🌞 Sugar Q: “What’s your morning routine?”

“Alexa, play John P. Kee!” Ramona laughs. Mornings begin with music, devotion, slow coffee, and five minutes on herself — fix the edges, say a small prayer, remind herself: you’ve got this.

💡 The Tea: 

Start with gratitude and your day will follow. ☀️

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💃🏾 Sugar Q: “How do you cheer yourself up?”

“I dance, sugar!” A living-room two-step, a walk to the Potomac, or time with people she loves resets her. She says: if she can’t solve it on her walk to the Memorial Bridge, it’s probably not worth the worry.

💡 The Tea: 

Joy is a choice. Sometimes it begins with a dance break. 🎶

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“Say it ’til you believe it. I’m beautiful. I’m worthy. I’m enough.” — Auntea Ramona

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💋 Simi’s Sip

You don’t have to have it all figured out, sugar. Keep showing up, keep learning, and let your faith and fire guide you. Your community, your joy, and your purpose — they’re already in you.

Not a lecture, just a sip of tea. ☕💖

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💁🏽‍♀️ Meet the Auntea— Ramona L. Ford Green

Ramona grew up in Waterbury, CT, moved to the DMV as a young adult, and has deep roots in Southeast DC. Raised in a Pentecostal home and shaped by strong grandmothers, she brings faith, fortitude, and community care to everything she does — from school advocacy to walking the Potomac when she needs to clear her head.

✨ Follow : @ramona