September 15, 2026 — From parole officer to purpose-driven nonprofit work, and now an author, Erna Blackman has spent decades giving back to those who needed her most. Throughout her career as a parole officer and now over the past decade and a half since leaving state service, Blackman has always believed in giving people a second chance, but she often did so at her own expense.
Now, in her new book, You Can’t Pour From an Empty Champagne Flute: The Caregivers Guide to Luxury-Self Care, Blackman explores how to care for oneself and how to do so with luxury.
Blackman began her New York State career as a parole officer in 1994. She remembers the work as tough and challenging, but also rooted in compassion.
“I think you have to have some type of compassion, because your job is to make them better while supervising them,” Blackman said. “I felt like my job was to make them a better person than they were when they went in, give them a little education.”
Blackman was in and out of court rooms, conducted warrants, responded to crisis calls, and put a lot of physical and mental labor into her work. Despite an injury she sustained on the job, Blackman remained committed to her parole job until 2015, she officially retired due to her injury.
Years before, Blackman was already seeking her next calling. While injured, she began volunteering as a wig stylist with the American Cancer Society’s “Look Good, Feel Better” program, where she styled wigs for women who had lost their hair to cancer. She noticed that Black and ethnic hairstyles and textures were missing from most available wigs.
“I noticed that there weren’t a whole lot of wigs that match us, you know, texture, curls, things like that,” she said. “I said, ‘Wow, if this big organization doesn’t have it, what about the children in the neighborhoods whose parents are working 2-3 jobs and don’t have access to other organizations?’ And that’s when the lightbulb went off.”
Blackman started Butterflies by Blaq Inc. (Butterflies BBI) in 2012, while still working as a parole officer.
In the 14 years since, her nonprofit has expanded into partnerships with hospitals and receives hair donations from across the U.S. and several other countries, including the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Trinidad and Tobago. In 2025, Blackman launched the Blaq Butterflies Wellness Boutique as a way to continue exploring wellness and luxury, give back to the community, and help keep the nonprofit well-funded.
This year, Blackman’s new book, You Can’t Pour From an Empty Champagne Flute: The Caregivers Guide to Luxury-Self Care, seeks to continue that giving spirit while also adding “non-negotiable luxury” into the mix.
“I was initially going to title it ‘You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup,’ when all of a sudden I got this download,” she said. “You can’t pour from an empty champagne flute because we’re fragile, we’re beautiful and we have to remember that. We’re not just cups, we’re champagne flutes. If you don’t take care of us, we’ll break.”
Blackman said that as a caregiver and parole officer for so many years, she understands that people in caregiving roles can often burn out or forget to take care of themselves.
“You really have to fill yourself back up,” she said. “You have to take time to make yourself feel good. Keep yourself healthy, move around, eat healthy. You can’t constantly help others out and not take care of yourself.”
Blackman’s book offers small reminders and insights over eight chapters that provide best practices on refilling one’s champagne flute and ensuring that self-care is not taking a backseat over the course of taking care of others.
For more information on the book, Erna Blackman, or Butterflies BBI, visit https://www.ernablackman.com/