Between 1986 to 1996 the crack cocaine crisis hit the African American Community like a tsunami! In 1986, the birth year of crack, my father died smoking the drug. In the midst of my personal grief, the U.S. Congress intensified the war on drugs and nearly one million African Americans received felony convictions, and long prison sentences, often for low level drug offenses. If that were not enough, hundreds of thousands of African American women lost permanent custody of their children based in the stigma of crack cocaine. Children were devastated as a result of being separated from their parents. Families torn apart. The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren was at an all-time high.
Desperate, in 1990 I approached a well-known local reporter/talk show host about writing articles about the needs of children whose parents were impacted by drug addiction. With a disgusting look on her face, the reporter asked, "Why would I ever want to write an article about that?"
As much work as I have done on personal growth as an adult child of generational family addiction I held a mild resentment against that reporter for all these years until I met writers Rita Lawson and LaTanya Beasley Carter, a mother daughter team. They are the first mother-daughter duo to share their story of individual and family recovery in books. For their courageous and groundbreaking work they were awarded the 2026 Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery Rising Star Award.
This week Rita and LaTanya were interviewed by the talented podcaster Davi Davenport. You can click on the video below to hear the interview. As you listen, I am sure you will agree with me, Rita and LaTanya are not rising stars, they are stars. Their messages and collective work will play an important role in helping our community recover from the impact of addiction. There is hope!
