CELEBRATING BLACK HERSTORY MONTH WITH DR. LAKEESHA WALROND
Reverend Dr. Lakeesha Walrond is certainly making herstory as the first African American and woman to become the president of New York’s Theological Seminary 119 year history on October 24, 2019. Dr. Walrond is delighted to have the opportunity to show all women that there are still many opportunities to be the first. There were many obstacles that Reverend Dr. Walrond overcame. She grew up in Texas and attended a small Baptist church where the belief was that God didn't call women to preach. From the ages of 9-1, she was molested and she thought that sexual abuse would cripple her. Instead, it was a moment that God transformed her brokenness into wholeness and allowed her to heal from the trauma that the child abuse caused. Thank God for transformation and the ability to move beyond our circumstances unapologetically. It's the both of best worlds for Reverend Dr. Walrond becoming president at New York’s Theological Seminary, as it allows education and spirituality to converge.
Dr. Walrond is very qualified both personally and professionally. Dr. Walrond is married to Dr. Michael A. Walrond Jr. I am so grateful that her husband didn’t dim her light, but supported her while she pursued her God-given purpose. She was the executive pastor at 1st Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York for over 10 years. Dr. Walrond earned her B.A. degree from Spelman College in Psychology and Early Childhood Development. Spelman College is a prestigious liberal arts college located in Atlanta, Georgia that prepares women to change the world. Dr. Walrond is certainly changing the world. Dr. Walrond earned her Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary; she also has a Master of Arts in teaching, Master in School Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Reverend Dr. Walrond spreads a message of faith and hope for all. She believes faith is never lost, sometimes it’s covered due to life’s circumstances, but it’s always there waiting to be recovered and restored. Walrond takes care of wounded souls by offering healing. She is described by her peers as an empowering woman with a brilliant mind, wild heart, change agent, a woman who lives out the scripture, a servant, and a leader. God has a plan for us to prosper not to fail, and Reverend Dr. Walrond embodies that plan. Dr. Walrond embodies intelligence, discipline, determination and advocacy.
Reverend Dr. Walrond is a preacher, author, advocate, wife and mother. From the molestation she endured at the hand of her stepfather birthed a book entitled My Body Is Special (Let's Talk About It) published in 2017. This book was written to equip children with the necessary tools to protect themselves from physical, mental, psychological and sexual abuse. The objective of the book is to open the lines of communication between adults and children to decrease abuse against children. The book allows adults to have the conversation with healthy and nonjudgmental vocabulary. Walrond dealt with and triumphed over procrastination and fear when releasing her book; which was written in 2009 but wasn't published until 2017. My Body is Special’s target audience is children who are 5 years and older. Walrond states that the book brought on a different kind of exposure and vulnerability. Vulnerability is far from easy, yet it is necessary to provide healing from all those who have endured similar experiences.
While the book’s message is vital, it wasn't received when pitched, which is why Dr. Walrond went the self publishing route. I applaud Reverend Dr. Walrond’s resilience to release the book anyhow. According to statistics 1 in 4 women and 1in 6 men will be touched inappropriately by their 18th birthday, and that's not completely accurate due to those who do not report the abuse they've experienced for various reasons. The book was created to prevent the abuse so that it doesn't have to be combatted with recovery and healing later. The quote, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” speaks to that narrative. Dr. Walrond knows the importance of making sure that the children survivors of abuse know without a shadow of a doubt that the burden of responsibility is on the adult and not the child. We also need to have the conversation about children abusing other children as a result of being sexually abused by an adult.
My Body is Special provides healing, affirmation and empowerment for not only children but adults as well. It provides a fundamental understanding to children that their bodies belong to them, they do not have to succumb to manipulation from their abusers, their voices matter, and someone will listen. The book provides them with the courage to share their story. Unfortunately, 90% of child molestation cases happen with someone that the child knows. Dr. Walrond knows that it is essential to entrust our children with the knowledge they need to protect themselves from sexual predators.
There is no crime in telling when you've been victimized. In black families, the culture in a lot of cases is, “what goes on in this house stays in this house”, which causes our voices to be silenced even in the face of abuse. We also need to change the narrative about saying like “snitches get stitches" in the black culture. When those who have been victimized tell their truth, it should result in protection not persecution!
In addition to sexually abusing her, Dr. Walrond’s stepfather physically abused her mother. Once Dr. Walrond's mother was alerted to what was occurring with her daughter, she believed her and took action by moving them to safety. Not for herself, but for her daughter. I applaud her mother for the courage to do whatever it took to get her daughter to safety. We have a duty as parents to protect our children at all costs! Dr. Walrond has been to therapy and is a strong advocate of therapy.
Therapy facilitates help heal and allows victims to move beyond self-disparaging behaviors of blame, shame and guilt. Dr. Walrond has been to therapy four times within her life, ranging from 6 months to 2 years each time. It was therapy that permitted Dr. Walrond to have a conversation about the sexual abuse she endured without crying. Therapy is inevitably necessary because sexual abuse does not go away; it is always with you despite the length of time which has passed when it occurred. Sexual abuse manifests in various ways from flashbacks, shutting down, being an overprotective mother, etc.
Mental health and physical health are both equally important. Reverend Dr. Walrond states, “If you break your arm, you are not going to come to the church and ask the clergy to pray for you. You're going to go to the hospital where you know there are people who have been trained to reset it and put a cast on it so that it can heal properly. In the same way, there are people who have been trained to help us heal mentally and psychologically, who've gone to school and can tell us the exercises we need to do that can move us in the direction of healing. So the longer you deny yourself the opportunity to go and speak with someone that can help you with your healing, it's just like sitting here with a broken arm." Therapy and faith are not mutually exclusive they are mutually inclusive.
Dr. Walrond wholeheartedly believes that your current situation is not your final destination. Dr. Walrond is not afraid to speak about sexual abuse in sermons behind the pulpit or in prayer groups. Dr. Walrond provides spiritual wellness for anyone that desires it. Dr. Lakeesha Walrond's favorite scripture is Romans 8:28 (NIV), And we know that in all things God works for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Dr. Walrond has been featured by Essence magazine and the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. I am excited to see how God continues to manifest himself in the life of Reverend Dr. Lakeesha Walrond, because I have a feeling that there is much more to come and she will continue to contribute to Black Herstory!