Aelicia Watson, affectionately known as Chocolate, says she doesn’t hear a story from her nonprofit Redeemed Women that Domestic Violence, Intergenerational Poverty, and teenage pregnancies fail to understand.
She went through everything herself.
Today, Watson is the founder and CEO of Redeemed Women, a service that focuses on women’s issues. She said everything she’s been through brought her to this point.
She remembers living in the car as a child, changing diapers for her little brother when she was 4 and eating food straight from the can.
“I grew up in what I call extreme absolute poverty,” said Watson. “I grew up on grocery brands, housing projects, and government cheese. I’ve seen all kinds of violence. I saw all kinds of generation poverty. “
Watson has these memories of absolute poverty as a child rather than an adult. She said she remembers that her mother sold the food in her house to quench the addiction.
“I was angry,” she said when her voice cracked. “Yeah, I was so mad. I was mad thinking what a [expletive] Mom would prefer drugs to her kids? What a god says he loves me and lets me get through it. “
At the age of 10 she was diagnosed with bone cancer and moved from Southern California to Texas due to a lack of medical care.
During this time, she raped a close family member.
“And after that happened, I ran away from home,” said Watson.
“Think about the women here, you know, there are so many women who are raped by their fathers, uncles, cousins and even brothers,” she said. “Many don’t talk about it. I just have the opportunity to be brave enough to talk about it. “
Eventually, Watson came home to her grandparents’ home, where she had a support system for the first time in her life.
“I was surrounded by people who loved me – the doctors at the hospital, my grandparents, who helped me a lot since my parents didn’t raise me,” said Watson. “And you know, that brought a lot of hope into my life.”
Watson’s experience has led her to identify with the women she seeks help in in South Dallas, where she has lived for 10 years. At 14, Watson’s water broke in the middle of class. That’s when she found out that she was pregnant. Several years later, Watson graduated from high school and married her high school mistress. Watson says the marriage ended after a friend from work saw her black eye and offered her a place to stay.
“I can identify with this neighborhood because I know what it is like to go to school with dirty clothes on,” said Watson. “I know what it means to sit next to your mother who injects drugs next to you.”
She said that she sees a little bit of herself in every woman who walks through her door. Her mission through Redeemed Women is to help women lead independent lives. As the founder of Redeemed Women, she cares for about 30 women per month and about 300 to 400 women per year, a number that has increased during the pandemic.
During the decade that Watson lived in South Dallas, she realized that there are no resources just for women.
“When I asked the women here what they need, they said we need something just for us,” said Watson. “These women, they are caregivers, they are single parents, but they need a place to let their hair fall. You need a place to breathe. “
That’s what Watson wanted to create.
At Redeemed Women, Watson addresses the spiritual, professional, and physical needs of the women who come here. She provides Bible studies, connections to other resources, and teaches courses – all while building relationships.
Watson prides itself on being a victim of breaking generational poverty and causing others to do the same through the work she has done.
“I am not a victim.” She said. “I am victorious and I am terribly beautiful, wonderfully made. And although I struggle with my own shame and insecurity at times, I know that God has called me for a time like this. “
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https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/26/im-not-a-victim-founder-of-south-dallas-ministry-uses-her-experiences-to-guide-others/
