Tasha Williamson will receive
$25,000 in Recognition of Their Dedication to Violence Prevention
violence can’t be answered easily or quickly,” said Julio Marcial, TCWF’s program director for violence prevention. “But this year’s peace prize honorees have told us we can – and we must – begin to answer this public health issue by coming together, by sharing what we’ve learned, and by being clear about what is working and where we need to improve.”
Tasha Williamson
Tasha Williamson, a fierce advocate for peace, works directly with families who have experienced the devastating loss of loved ones. In 2008, she cofounded the San Diego Compassion Project, a collaboration among advocacy groups, law enforcement and churches. The project has supported more than 80 families and 500 individuals who have survived the trauma associated with homicides, suicides and assaults. Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Williamson grew up in a community plagued with violence and is a survivor of sexual abuse. Inspired by a high school teacher, she learned the importance of both community and personal advocacy.
Williamson is a community outreach consultant for the Urban League of San Diego where she co-created the Block By Block program, which helps educate young people on alternatives to gang involvement and assists their families in accessing social services that she finds are lacking in many southeastern neighborhoods of San Diego. She previously worked as a manager at Project Safeway, a safe passage program for students traveling to and from school, addressing community issues, including combating homelessness, domestic violence and gang involvement.
“To bring peace and end the violence we have to advocate and have compassion for ourselves, for our children, for our communities, and even for strangers,” said Williamson. “Violence, especially gang violence, is preventable.”
The California Wellness Foundation is a private independent foundation created in 1992 with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. The Foundation prioritizes eight issues for funding: diversity in the health professions, environmental health, healthy aging, mental health, teenage pregnancy prevention, violence prevention, women’s health, and work and health. It also responds to timely issues and special projects outside the funding priorities.
Since its founding in 1992, TCWF has awarded 6,919 grants totaling more than $852 million. Please visit TCWF’s website at CalWellness.org for more information, including a newsroom (link forthcoming) section devoted to the awards and the three honorees. High-resolution photos (link forthcoming) are available, and video interview clips are posted on TCWF’s YouTube channel (link forthcoming).
