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Former Memphis Anchorwoman Dee Griffin opens up about abuse and recovery

NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — he billing for the Sistahs Soiree Brunch offered advance notice: “…be ready for some candid conversations.” With the Memphis Botanical Garden as the setting (Aug. 10), the guest speaker – Augusta (Ga.) news anchor Dee Griffin, a former news anchor in Memphis – recounted her journey from planning a dream wedding through marital abuse to recovering and becoming an advocate to help “save the lives of women, and men, affected by domestic violence.”

Published

5 years ago

September 4, 2019

Oakland Post

Dee Griffin with her eight-year-old son, Pierce Isiah Griffin. (Courtesy photo)

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

The billing for the Sistahs Soiree Brunch offered advance notice: “…be ready for some candid conversations.”

With the Memphis Botanical Garden as the setting (Aug. 10), the guest speaker – Augusta (Ga.) news anchor Dee Griffin, a former news anchor in Memphis – recounted her journey from planning a dream wedding through marital abuse to recovering and becoming an advocate to help “save the lives of women, and men, affected by domestic violence.”

For Griffin, the first major sign that something might be amiss with her happily-ever-after plans happened the night before her wedding day.

“He got angry with me because I was late, but I was waiting on a surprise I had ordered for him,” she said. “He had never yelled at me before. I wanted to call off the wedding, but my family and friends convinced me that it was only pre-wedding jitters and a case of cold feet. And so, I brushed it off.”

And brushed it off, she did. All was forgiven, and the fairytale wedding in her hometown of Augusta, Ga. was everything Griffin had dreamed. She soon left Memphis and relocated to Boston, Mass., where her husband was a rising star in the education sector.

Fighting through the progressively escalating tell-tale signs of abuse, Griffin would have her dream, despite the cracks that began to show the imperfections in her relationship. She would hold fast to the illusion of her picture-perfect marriage to the man of her dreams for dear life.

Almost immediately, Griffin was pregnant with their first child. When she was three months pregnant, the mounting aggression could no longer be ignored.

“He got in my face and was yelling at me,” she said. “And he called me the n-word.”

But the storm wasn’t over yet.

“That wasn’t the end. He was so angry. He started walking toward me. I was thinking, ‘Is he going to hit me?’ So I left. I just drove around for a while. Finally, I decided to get a room at the Marriott hotel. I came home the next day. He chastised and scolded me, and then it was over.”

At seven months pregnant, Griffin says her husband got angry and pushed her.

“There was this closet where I would run and hide,” she said. “I called my cousin because I knew it was going to get worse. And it did. After I had my baby, my husband attacked me, hitting and kicking me. He was arrested that time.”

Griffin did what statistics indicate that other victims do.

“I fought for my marriage. I didn’t consider myself an abuse victim. I felt that we could make it work with some counseling, but he wasn’t interested in that.”

When the baby was five weeks old, Griffin knew she had no other option but to flee. Leaving would save her life. Heartbroken and ashamed, she called her mother, Helen Griffin. Both her mother and sister were on the road within hours to bring Griffin and little Pierce Isiah back home. (“Isiah” was the name of Griffin’s grandfather and great grandfather.)

Griffin was despondent and humiliated. Her mother had not yet apprised her own husband of the situation. When they called him on the way back, the phone was handed to Griffin. She started to tell her father the details and the dam of emotions broke. She was weeping and couldn’t speak of it so her sister took the phone and told their father about it.

Her father, retired Sergeant Major Albert Griffin Jr., who served in the 24th Infantry of the Buffalo Soldiers, fought in the Korean conflict and in Vietnam, simply told her, “Bring my grandson home.”

Now, the former news broadcaster at the top of her game is a single mother who lost everything – her home in Memphis, her money, her position – all in the name of love. She said in a prior interview how she slept on the floor of her mother’s house for fear that her husband would come shoot up the house.

Like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from, Griffin’s trauma nearly sent her over the edge.

Her husband filed for divorce, and in a final, major hit, he terminated his parental rights, disavowing any ownership of his ex-wife or their son.

“After his parental rights were terminated, I asked my father if I could give Pierce his last name,” Griffin recalled. “He said, ‘I would be honored.’”

With no spousal support and no child support, Griffin also discovered that her ex-husband had been cheating on her since before their marriage with a Memphis woman. It was just all too much for her.

Even with her Christian upbringing, she considered suicide.

“God gave me Pierce so I could keep going,” she said. “I thought about committing suicide, but I had to keep going for him. My father taught him to salute. So, every time we left the house, he would salute my father. When he was four, my father passed away. I have a photo of Pierce saluting him in the casket. I just lost it.

“My father said, ‘I walked you down the aisle to a monster,’ and that just broke him down,” Griffin said. “He never got over that. It took him out.”

It’s been four years since little Pierce saluted his grandfather for the last time. He’s eight now, and spends a lot of time at the Augusta television station where his mom works.

“When he comes to the station, the first thing he does is go looking for the meteorologist, George Myers,” said Griffin. “George is a father figure to him, and I’m just so grateful. I lost everything, but my son and I have everything we need.”

Before Griffin’s father died, he gave her a solemn and weighty charge: “Use your words. Tell your story.” He gave her the courage to move beyond the shame and embarrassment of her abuse and tell her story.

Whether it’s a prayer luncheon in front of hundreds of women, or to one woman in a chance meeting at a grocery store, Griffin encourages women to find their own voice in abusive situations.

“I’m not trying to hurt anyone, but I must tell my story. I did not choose this mission. The mission chose me. I am working on a book about my experiences and the lessons I have learned. I hope it will help someone else.”

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.