TO HEAL THE FAMILY, THE MOTHER MUST BE HEALED
Ms. Valencia Mohammed, President Selle, and Ms. Julie Randolph
Editor's Note: As the HerStory Award was not given at the National Assembly this year, President Selle held a district gathering at the Washington Times to present the award to Ms. Valencia Mohammed. Here is her testimony.
Ms. Valencia Mohammed, well-known for her activism to support mothers of murdered victims in the District of Columbia, spoke at the Women's Federation for World Peace International, Her Story Award gathering on December 19, in Washington, DC.
Ms. Mohammed shared with the audience her personal experiences as a mother who lost sons to gun violence, and how she used the pain to advocate for other moms suffering in silence. She said the many mothers of murdered victims need more than grief counseling. "I will never forget, the times I went to the homes of murdered victims and found chaos. Many mothers are reaching out for direction, organization, psychotherapy and solace," said Ms. Mohammed.
Ms. Valencia Mohammed
Ms. Mohammed affirmed that WFWP is on the right track to understanding what role women play in peaceful solutions locally, nationally, and internationally. "To help the families on both sides of the equation, you must look at the nucleus that controls it."
"In order to heal the family, the mother must be healed, whether it's the mother of the murdered victim or the one who committed the crime. Then she can give the family the positive direction and messages that it needs to be godly and wholesome," Ms. Mohammed said.
In May, the day before Mother's Day, in 2005, Ms. Mohammed, Director of Mothers of Unsolved Murders, hosted an event for mothers of murdered victims to unite and record their feelings. It was a huge success. Mohammed said events like that are important as they continue to give thousands of mothers in the District of Columbia who lost hope, belief in a cause that would benefit them.
From that event, Ms. Mohammed organized dozens of mothers to lobby on Capitol Hill for the District's first crime forensics lab. "We went from zero to $250 million in a year. Now the city has its first forensics lab to assist in solving the thousands of unsolved murders on the books. This was a major victory for the families," said Ms. Mohammed.
Reading the HerStory award
After accepting the award, Ms. Mohammed said the design symbolized a flame with a burning sensation to heal and tears of sadness and joy.
[To read Ms. Mohammed's story as told in the Washington Post newspaper, visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030503117.html.]