Shani Hardwick works in maternal health advocacy as a community director for March of Dimes, where she’s served since December 2015. Born July 12, 1982, in Savannah, Georgia, she’s the sister of actor Omari Hardwick but has built her career entirely separate from entertainment. She’s married to attorney Jerred Wilson and maintains a deliberately private life while focusing on programs that support pregnant women and newborns.
While her brother commands attention on screen, Shani addresses maternal health disparities that affect thousands of families. Her work involves coordinating community programs, building healthcare partnerships, and connecting underserved women to prenatal care. She represents a different kind of success, one measured in healthier births rather than headlines.
The Woman Behind the Hardwick Name
Most people encounter Shani’s name while searching for information about Omari Hardwick’s family. That’s the reality of being related to someone famous. But reducing her to “Omari Hardwick’s sister” misses the point entirely.
Shani built a career focused on maternal and infant health outcomes. She coordinates programs that directly impact pregnancy outcomes in communities where healthcare access remains limited. Her typical workday involves meetings with healthcare providers, grant applications, community outreach events, and tracking program effectiveness.
The March of Dimes fights premature birth, infant mortality, and maternal health complications. Community directors like Shani serve as the bridge between national initiatives and local families who need support. They don’t just manage programs. They build relationships with hospitals, clinics, community organizations, and the women themselves.
Family Roots That Shaped Her Path
Shani grew up in Georgia with three brothers: Omari, Jamil, and Malik. Her parents, Joyce and Clifford Hardwick, both worked in professional fields. Joyce practiced law, while Clifford had a background in athletics. The household emphasized education, service, and strong family bonds.
Growing Up in the Hardwick Household
The Hardwick siblings each took different paths, but they shared common values learned at home. Omari pursued acting and poetry. Jamil became a producer and entrepreneur. Shani gravitated toward community service and health advocacy. These choices weren’t random. They reflected a family culture that encouraged using your talents to contribute beyond yourself.
Her brother Jamil frequently posts about family on social media, giving the public rare glimpses into their relationships. His posts on National Siblings Day and birthday tributes reveal a tight family unit that celebrates each other’s accomplishments privately. In a 2015 birthday post, Jamil called Shani “an extremely hard worker, great wife and mother, beautiful, giving, loving person, with a heart of gold.”
The family experienced tragedy too. They lost their cousin Ayesha when she was only 33. Shani lost her brother at age 45. These losses shaped the family’s perspective on supporting each other through difficult times.
Education and Early Career Choices
Shani attended Florida State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. Some sources mention earlier attendance at Clark Atlanta University, though details remain unclear. Her education focused on areas that would later support her nonprofit career, including communications and community development.
After graduation, she entered event management and coordination. She worked with Event Perfect, LLC, then moved to Starwood Hotels & Resorts. These positions developed her organizational skills and taught her how to manage complex logistics. Event coordination requires attention to detail, stakeholder management, and the ability to solve problems under pressure.
These skills transferred directly to nonprofit work. Community health programs require coordinating multiple partners, managing events like health fairs and educational sessions, and ensuring everything runs smoothly when families show up for services.
Building a Career in Maternal Health
In December 2015, Shani joined the March of Dimes. She’s now been there nearly a decade, focusing her energy on maternal and infant health programs. This career shift from hospitality to healthcare advocacy represents a deliberate choice to work in an area where she could make a measurable impact.
What a March of Dimes Community Director Actually Does
Community directors don’t sit in offices writing policy papers. They work directly with communities to implement programs that improve birth outcomes. The role combines program management, community organizing, healthcare partnership building, and direct service coordination.
A typical week might include hosting a prenatal education class at a community center, meeting with hospital staff about improving care protocols, writing grant applications to fund new initiatives, and checking in with program participants about their experiences. The work requires both strategic thinking and hands-on implementation.
March of Dimes programs address specific challenges: reducing premature births, improving access to prenatal care, supporting families in neonatal intensive care units, and advocating for policies that protect maternal health. Community directors translate these national priorities into local action.
Shani’s work involves identifying barriers that prevent women from accessing quality prenatal care. Transportation issues, lack of insurance, limited clinic hours, language barriers, and distrust of medical systems all create obstacles. Community directors work to remove these barriers through partnerships, education, and direct support services.
Her Work Matters More Than You Think
Maternal health in America faces a crisis that most people don’t fully understand. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. Black women die from pregnancy-related complications at three to four times the rate of white women, regardless of education or income level.
Premature birth affects about 1 in 10 babies born in the U.S. These births cost the nation more than $26 billion annually in medical and educational expenses. Beyond statistics, premature birth means families facing extended NICU stays, developmental challenges, and long-term health complications.
Community health advocates like Shani work to close these gaps. Every woman who receives proper prenatal care, every family connected to support services, every premature birth prevented represents real progress. The work happens quietly, one family at a time, without press releases or recognition.
Her career choice matters precisely because it’s unglamorous. Society celebrates actors, athletes, and entrepreneurs while overlooking the community organizers doing daily work in public health. Yet their impact often exceeds that of more visible careers.
Marriage, Motherhood, and Private Life
Shani married Jerred Wilson in December 2019. Wilson works as an attorney, and together they navigate careers focused on service and advocacy. They have two daughters, including one named Haven, though details about their children remain private.
Balancing demanding nonprofit work with family life requires constant adjustment. Community health crises don’t follow business hours. The families she serves often need support during evenings and weekends. Maternal health emergencies don’t wait for convenient timing.
Her experience as a mother informs her professional work. She understands firsthand the concerns pregnant women face, the challenges of finding quality childcare, and the complexity of making healthcare decisions for children. This personal perspective enriches her ability to connect with and serve the families in her programs.
The Omari Connection and Family Bonds
Shani’s relationship with her brother Omari remains strong despite their different career paths. Omari thrives in the spotlight through roles in “Power” and other major productions. Shani operates effectively without it. This difference doesn’t reflect competing values but rather two different expressions of the same family foundation.
Both siblings contribute to their communities through vastly different channels. Omari uses his platform to raise awareness about various causes. Shani works directly with families who need support. Neither approach is superior. Both matter.
The Hardwick siblings maintain close bonds despite busy careers and geographic separation. Family gatherings stay private, away from cameras and public attention. When they celebrate milestones together, like their grandmother’s 91st birthday in 2023, the moments get shared selectively on social media by Jamil, who remains the family’s most public chronicler.
Why She Chose Privacy Over Publicity
Shani maintains an Instagram account under the handle @shanikiden, using her married name, Shani Hardwick Wilson. The account stays private. This choice means her social media serves personal connections rather than public influence.
In an era where platform-building feels mandatory, especially for people connected to celebrities, Shani’s privacy preference stands out. She’s made intentional choices about what parts of her life to share and with whom. Her boundaries reflect values about separating professional impact from personal recognition.
Most media coverage of Shani appears in articles about Omari’s family rather than features about her own work. Entertainment outlets mention her when profiling the Power star’s background. This secondary coverage pattern results from her deliberate choice to stay out of the spotlight.
When her name appears in search results, questions typically ask “Who is Omari Hardwick’s sister?” rather than recognizing her professional accomplishments. This reality probably doesn’t bother Shani much. The families she serves know her impact, even if entertainment blogs don’t cover it.
Her career demonstrates that success doesn’t require spotlights or social media metrics. Sometimes the most meaningful work happens quietly, in communities far from red carpets and entertainment headlines. The mothers who receive proper prenatal care, the babies born healthy instead of premature, and the families connected to resources they didn’t know existed all represent Shani’s real legacy.
She’s built a life of purpose without needing public validation. That might be the most important lesson her story offers.
