Today we would like to introduce you to LaKeisha Williams-Till.
LaKeisha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the daughter and sister of two incredible souls who lost their lives in a tragic Domestic Violence incident that made national news. My younger brothers Christopher and Myles sustained devastating injuries on the day of our mother and sister’s murder as well. At that time, Christopher was 13 and Myles was 10 years old. Christopher, unfortunately, was paralyzed from the waist down from his gunshot wound. Myles suffered from a gunshot wound as well. When I received the news, I left college immediately and dedicated my life to being their guardian from the age of 23. Since 2013 I have made it my mission to strive daily to help us all process the trauma of death, injury, and grief. It has been seven long years and I can honestly say it has truly been a journey!
I realized that this journey needed to be broken down into helpful tips and strategies for other families to access while they move through their own custom journey of life obstacles. I noticed so many other news stories featuring similar family slayings as ours and knew I could not sit silently for much longer. The time to speak up and speak out is NOW! I fully accept and plan to advocate my life away to help another family from enduring what we have. Please do not be afraid to use your voice to be a beacon of hope for others. I was afraid to do so for a while and I realized that was not God’s purpose over me! To all my DV WARRIORS, this space is for you! I pray you choose to join me as I give our testimony in a series of videos, posts, blogs, speaking engagements, etc. I will discuss my personal healing and self-care journey through it all as well.
Has it been a smooth road?
This was not an easy experience so the road after it all was very difficult. At the time, I was a college student who was entering into my senior year and preparing for graduation. As we all know college is life within itself. I received the call about my family and had to leave everything behind. I became a mother overnight to my siblings who were fighting for their lives, all while trying to wrap my head around my mother and sister being killed due to my mother’s husband.
Not only did we lose our mother and oldest sister. We lost our home as well, because our attacker chose to blow it up with a grenade upon entering our home. We could never go back there. I went from college student to caregiver and worked tirelessly with the help of complete strangers to re-build our lives so that my brothers had the care coordination and a place to live and heal. This was not easy at all!
I went through a lot of ups and downs within taking on the position of a guardian for my siblings. It was difficult, especially because of their injuries from their gunshot wounds and just their mental health from what their eyes had seen. They watched and heard our mother and sister’s lives ending. At the ages they were, it created a lot of anxiety, fear, and PTSD. Grief still needed to make its way in, but we had to survive first to even reach a grieving space. The world-wind of emotions we experienced I prayed was never anyone else experience. It was hard trying to ensure my brothers and I had the help we needed while also having to convince everyone I could do this at my age.
So, as you know, we are impressed with My Shade of Purple – tell our readers more, for example what you are most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Losing my mother and sister was truly devastating. This changed my family’s entire life. I realized our viewpoint as children of a Domestic Violence victim and my role, needed to be shared as I saw more and more families getting impacted by Domestic Violence as we have.
The purpose of My Shade of Purple is to encourage, uplift and inspire survivors, victims’ families, and children of Domestic Abuse through testimonial focused messages, striving towards breakthroughs. I have built this platform to focus on more than just the abuse itself, but the aftermath and the importance of self-care and healing along your journey.
As a Certified Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocate, my purpose in this life is to help raise awareness and keep the conversation going as to why Domestic Violence Advocacy and programs are necessary and vital. I decided to create My Shade of Purple to pay homage to my mother and sister and honor our time here on earth together. I am so deeply proud of this platform and the message of hope and strategy that we are about to explore! I am here to help encourage you to not be afraid to do the work necessary to move your story from tragedy to triumph as we have.
Let us touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the city of Houston because we moved here to heal. My mother was born and raised here. She loved and always boasted about her Houston roots and how much she wanted to move back here. My mother and sister were brought here, to be laid to rest. I decided we should move here to rest, regroup, heal and be close to our angels. We have been living here for almost seven years and it has been truly worth it. The medical center was a life changer for me with taking care of my brothers. Having everything in one place helped ALOT. Houston has been home to us. I plan to keep it this way for a while.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.myshadeofpurple.org/
- Email: Info@myshadeofpurple.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myshadeofpurple_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyShadeofPurple
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/myshadeofpurple
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
