Vibin' with Tonza

Tanesha Ash-Shakoor, J.D., was given the opportunity to experience first hand how  sharing her own story of domestic violence could affect the lives of victims and survivors. After sharing her her testimony at a church service one Sunday, a woman in the congregation began to scream. It was the sound of purpose going forth and a woman being released from thoughts of suicide.  This woman indicated that after service she had planned to commit suicide because she saw no other options after being abused and buried alive. That is when Tanesha Ash-Shakoor knew that the emotional, physical and sexual abuse that she had once endured had to come out and go forth. She could no longer choose to be silent knowing that her survival wasn’t a mistake.  She could no longer allow the enemy, that silenced her for over a year, to defeat her.  It was time to change her thoughts and she began to no longer see herself as a victim but a survivor. It didn’t happen over night and often times she got ahead of what God had purposed for her.  Brainstorming and then praying, Voices of Color [https://www.voicesofcolor.org/] was created.  She began speaking out where ever and whenever she could, freely offering her testimony and an ear to those who wanted to share their testimonies. Voices of Color, [https://www.voicesofcolor.org/] the non-profit organization [https://www.voicesofcolor.org/support-us]founded by Tanesha Ash-Shakoor is dedicated to educating and preventing domestic violence for all races, ages, sexual orientations, religions, and genders, and actively working toward restoring self empowerment for victims and survivors. HEY! BEFORE YOU GO...Don't forget to go to www.tonzadruffin.com [http://www.tonzadruffin.com] and subscribe so that you every new blog post will be sent directly to your email when published.

Celisa Lehew, Assistant Chief of Police with the Chapel Hill Police Department, currently leads the Uniformed Patrol Division, Investigations, and School Resource Officers.  Having started her career as a Patrol Officer in 2004, she has previously led the Training Division, Crisis Unit, Quartermaster, Information Services, and Budget Operations. Celisa holds a Master’s Degree in Justice Administration from Methodist University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Lake Superior State University. Celisa is passionate for her community currently serving as a board member for Our Children’s Place of Coastal Horizons Center and Dispute Settlement Center; as well as the Town’s staff liaison for the Justice in Action Committee. She is a member of the North Carolina Police Executives Association, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, and Alpha Pi Sigma. Celisa was recently named a 2019 Woman of Achievement by Chapel Hill Magazine. Celisa is a sought-after speaker and teacher on community policing, ethics, leadership and investigations.  A born and raised Canadian, fluent in French, she is an outdoors enthusiast and Toronto Maple Leafs hockey fan. Celisa is a mother to two daughters, with a husband who also serves in law enforcement. Megan Johnson, LCMHC serves as a civilian Division Commander for the Chapel Hill Police Department managing the Crisis Unit, a 24-hour co-response team that provides onsite emergency response with officers to persons in crisis situations of which may include intimate partner or sexual violence, persons experiencing psychiatric emergencies or persistent mental health concerns, situations requiring safety planning and lethality assessments, and incidents involving serious injury or death. In this role, she provides clinical oversight of the Police Peer Support Team which provides confidential emotional support to first responders under a peer-to-peer model.  Megan serves as the Coordinator for the Department’s Crisis Negotiation Team which is deployed during critical incidents that require specific engagement with suicidal persons, barricaded subjects, and hostage situations. She also oversees the administration of the Town of Chapel Hill’s Criminal Justice Debt Program which provides criminal justice related debt relief to indigent members of the community. Prior to joining the Crisis Unit, Megan worked as an Emergency Services Clinician for the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Assessment Center, an extension of Colonial Behavioral Health's Emergency Services Unit in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she provided assessment and intervention services in community, correctional, and hospital settings to adults, children and families in crisis situations. Her specific clinical interest areas are Cluster B Personality Disorders, suicidality, and self-mutilation. Megan holds a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the College of William and Mary and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina. In addition to subscribing to Vibin' With Tonza, please be sure to go to www.tonzadruffin.com [http://www.tonzadruffin.com] and subscribe so that you can receive my blog in your inbox as soon as they are published.

In 2019, after graduating from New York University School of Law with honors, Madhu joined The Center For Death Penalty Litigation (CDPL) as a staff attorney. While in law school, Madhu interned with various organizations that provided post-conviction legal support to people on death row, including the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project, the Southern Center for Human Rights, and The Equal Justice Initiative. She was also given the opportunity to represent individuals before the Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole and represented a family seeking resettlement through the International Refugee Assistance Project. In this episode of Vibin' With Tonza, Madhu talks about her journey as a young woman making career decisions, the importance of mentors, the work she does at CDPL, what empowerment means to her and so much more. Be sure to tune in! AND...if you want to learn more about The Center For Death Penalty Litigation go to www.cdpl.org [https://www,cdpl.org].

Millennial woman, Whitley Grant is a proud double Eagle from the illustrious North Carolina Central University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialists and Certified Clinical Supervisor Intern located in Raleigh, NC. Whitley is passionate about focusing on Black Mental Health, specifically how it shows up in Black Women. She proudly identifies as a Black Feminist who views her profession through an intersectional social justice lens. Follow Whitley Grant on Instagram @the_intersectionaltherapist [https://www.instagram.com/the_intersectionaltherapist/] Be sure subscribe to www.tonzadruffin.com [https://www.tonzadruffin.com] so that you can remain in the loop. You can find Vibin’ With Tonza on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Castro, IHeart Radio, Podchaser, Podcast Addict, Deezer, Listen Notes, and Pocket Cast!

Brittney is known for being very passionate about the success of small businesses and young professionals. She is a native of Lewiston, NC, and a graduate of Bertie High School. Although she is from a small town, she didn't allow that to stop her shine and has created a path of her own! She earned her B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in Communication Studies from North Carolina Central University in 2014. There she was heavily involved with professional and community organizations, which honed many of her professional skills. Currently, she helps several small to mid-size women-owned businesses with their digital marketing and branding efforts.  Her future goals includes starting a mentor program for middle-school and high school aged girls that focuses on entrepreneurship and creating an entrepreneurial program for battered centers for women.