#NNPA BlackPress

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

7 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

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

COMMENTARY: A Black and White Life Doesn’t Come Close to Technicolor Living

Don't Miss

COMMENTARY: So I finally got ahold of a Popeyes Chicken Sandwich . . .

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

Smooth Ride! Car Suspension & Comfort Tested #shorts

Smooth suspension meets surprisingly spacious legroom. Experience true comfort on any road!

Published

4 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Car suspension test demonstrating a smooth ride, comfort features, and handling on various terrains.

Experience the difference smooth suspension makes on rough streets. Check out the surprisingly good second-row legroom – test it yourself for true comfort.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/l9Z571za5Gc

#AutoNetwork

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

61 years since Selma, Houston leaders say the bridge remains to be crossed

61 years after Selma, Houston leaders say the fight for equality continues. The issues that sparked the marches still impact Black Americans today.

Published

4 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Houston leaders discuss the ongoing struggle for civil rights 61 years after Selma, emphasizing the need for continued action.

It has been 61 years since the Selma marches. But political leaders in Houston say that the issues protesters were marching for still plague the lives of Black Americans.

Visit Our Website

Home – updated

Read more stories by our team
https://defendernetwork.com/category/news/opinion/

Sign-up for the Top 5 newsletter

Defender Newsletters

Donate/ Support Our Work

Contribute to the Defender Network

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

4 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.