Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LaTanya Black. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

LaTanya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Mothers Against Community Gun Violence (MACGV) is a unique organization working to prevent gun violence before it happens. We offer more than just education, public safety and advocacy services; we also provide holistic, trauma-informed healing and restoration support to victims’ families and survivors. This approach takes into account mental, physical, and spiritual health modalities, in addition to the traditional crisis work and community first responder methods. We strive to de-escalate the impulse to retaliate against others, and are always within reach – not an automated response – when someone encounters our services.

LaTanya, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is LaTanya Black and I am a life coach, public speaker, and former executive director and national state ambassador for the Minnesota Community Health Worker program. My work with CHW’s focused on providing access to healthcare for underserved communities, reducing health disparities, and promoting wellness. Tragically, my daughter was a victim of gun violence on June 13, 2020. In her honor, I founded Mothers Against Community Gun Violence to advocate for justice, public safety, and gun violence prevention. While I have taken a break from life coaching, I still strive to promote wellness for all communities on a national scale, albeit for a different cause.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After experiencing the tragedy of my daughter’s death, I was left without direction. In her honor, I founded Mothers Against Community Gun Violence (MACGV) and dedicated my work to her name, “Nia,” which means purpose. With incredible community supporters and partners, we have organized over a dozen gun violence prevention walks around the world, and host an annual gun violence prevention walkathon in my city, and even have had the opportunity to speak with First Lady Mrs. Biden at the White House. We are currently working to create change through legislation, and to further our efforts, we have developed the NOT ON MY BLOCK public safety initiative, which provides yard signs and window decals to deter crime and gun violence. Through this work and advocacy, I have been able to pivot away from my previous work and find a new purpose in creating lasting change in the community. I am proud to be a leader who is making a difference!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In the wake of my daughter’s heartbreaking death, I was left with so many questions for God: why my child? As if that wasn’t enough, I was then hospitalized with a rash and lesions covering my body and placed on a liquid diet for ten days. Despite the immense pain and suffering I was going through; I was somehow able to find the courage and strength to seek justice and create a path to healing for other families living with the physical impact of gun violence. All with the help of a higher power, I was able to discover resilience, hope, and determination to keep going. To honor my daughter, I enrolled in theological studies and worked hard, graduating with a 4.0 GPA in her first year of death. This was a testament to my courage, strength, resilience, and faith in God, who gave me the power to carry on.

Contact Info:

• Website: macgvnb.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/macgvusa

Image Credits
The work of Mothers Against Community Gun Violence (MACGV) Honoring the life of Nia Black, children and survivors lives taken by gun violence.