Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTasha Jackson-McDougle.
LaTasha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was orphaned at the age of 18 months; I witnessed my father kill my mother, then commit suicide, he left me for dead inside the cold vehicle parked in an Alley in Fort Worth, Texas. I was immediately taken into guardianship care of my maternal grandparents; I remember having questions about my mom, and with a brave face and a smile, my Granny told me that my mother was in heaven. As a young child, I was filled with questions. Why did she leave me? Why is she in Heaven? I remember blaming myself and wanting to no longer live. But I had a praying grandmother who reassured me that I was loved, and Christ would protect me. The encouraging words soothed me as a child, but as the years passed on, my heart was still empty. I struggled with anxiety, anger, and experienced random numbness and tingling in my face; all these things, I kept it hidden.
In the sixth grade, I found a newspaper article stored in a dresser drawer. The article was about the death of my parents. That same year, a teacher told me that statistics said that because I was an orphan, raised by my grandparents in a low-income community that I was less likely to succeed. Those words hurt me to my core. However, it motivated me to beat statistics and prove to others that no matter what statistics say about them, they can go against the odds.
During my high school years, I was determined that I would become a lawyer. By college, I begin taking social work courses with my criminal justice classes. The classes taught me more about trauma, and domestic violence, I begin to think more about my Mother, and questioning more about what lead up to her death. I conducted a full investigation of the murder of my Mother. I received several case reports from the Fort Worth Police Department. The information was overwhelming. At the end of the investigation, I learned, my mother, Cheryl, was not my father’s only victim. I was also a victim. I learned of the surgeries I had at birth due to the abuse and the stress my mother endured while pregnant with me. The abuse increased, and the reports had shown the elevation of the violence. My mom did all she could to protect herself and me; however, she lost her life in the process.
Thirty-seven years later, I begin to turn my pain into his purpose; I turned my anger and anxiety to get the ultimate revenge on what tried to destroy me; by beating statics and dedicating my life to be a voice for children across our country who are victims of domestic violence.
Devoting my life and education to learn more about domestic violence, played an active role in my efforts to bring awareness to domestic violence. My motivation for sharing my story is to encourage others; they can turn their trauma into victory.
My mission is to be a voice for children who have suffered the loss of their parent(s) due to domestic violence or suicide. Therefore, I started Cheryl’s Voice to bring honor and memory to my mom.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I experience struggles daily with trying to get support in bringing awareness throughout the community, especially when needing donations, but we make it work; Our last free awareness summit had 100 people register and about 30 people attend, shortly after we experienced more children witnessing the murder of their mother’s or witnessing abuse in the home. However, I am determined to overcome them daily. Domestic violence is a topic people are not comfortable with talking about If I had one wish; I would wish that one day I will be able to walk into a store in October and see a section of products of Pink for breast cancer awareness and the Purple area for domestic violence awareness.
Through Cheryl’s Voice, I have learned when offering to provide education on domestic violence for every rejection; there is a lesson behind it. I begin to partner with other local non-profits who have the same mission, in Tarrant County, we are a small group of non-profits. Therefore, it is essential to choose community over competition. In doing this, it has expanded our impact, which makes overcoming the obstacles more manageable.
Please tell us about Cheryl’s Voice.
Our core passion and specialty are speaking to youth, women, and men to increase their knowledge of dating violence, intimate partner violence, and overcoming childhood trauma. Whether in a school, juvenile detention, civic or conference venue, we tailor our message for each audience and setting. We ensure the topic is engaging and relatable, endeavoring to leave audiences both educated and inspired. Cheryl’s Voice provides presentations on an array of titles in a variety of venues including but not limited to the following:
Topic Specialties:
Life after Death: Overcoming Childhood Trauma
Why does he abuse?
How the Criminal Justice System can be of service to Victims & Abusers
Effects of Domestic Violence to Children
Domestic Violence 101
The correlation of Teen Dating Violence and Sex Trafficking
Speaking from the perspective of the child left behind due to domestic violence, homicide, and suicide is something unique about Cheryl’s Voice. Also, we connect people to resources in the community and provide them with assistance in the process. Lastly, we host a yearly bear drive and donate them to a local non-profit that provides direct services to children who have been victimized.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I remember being afraid and a lady from The Women’s Center handed me a stuffed Unicorn, I loved it, found comfort in having it. This is why Cheryl’s Voice has the bear drive yearly so that other children who are struggling with trauma can have that same feeling when given something so special.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3000 South Hulen Suite 124-128
Fort Worth, TX 76109 - Website: www.cherylsvoice.org
- Phone: 682-325-9307
- Email: latasha@cherylsvoice.org
- Instagram: @cherylsvoice
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamcherylvoice/
- Twitter: @IAmCherylsVoice
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