Keisha Dixon was recently interviewed by TheCelebrity.Online Magazine and below is the Q&A session we had with Ms. Keisha.
Keisha Dixon As Cover Story Interview Feature – TheCelebrity.Online April 2023 Edition
How do you introduce yourself?
Keisha Dixon: Because I wear many hats, I introduce myself as a Servant Leader. Professionally I am an author, entrepreneur, executive director, certified family peer support specialist and on the board for a few outstanding social justice organizations where I volunteer in Public Relations and on the Armed Services and Veteran Affairs Committee. Additionally, I advocate for mental health and activist for child safety.
How was your transition from childhood to adulthood and what are the bad and good things you remember?
Keisha Dixon: The transition from childhood to teenager was reasonably easy and gradually became difficult the older I became. My mother was a single parent who raised four children with one job. As a kid, I did not realize my mother’s financial struggle until high school. We moved around often; I lived with family members a few times. I attended a different school every year, from middle to high school. I did not want to be a burden, so I skipped out on prom and other senior activities. Looking back, my childhood was great. In elementary I dreamed of being the first girl to play for the Lakers.
By middle school, I wanted to dance on Broadway to pay for medical school to become an obstetrician.
From teenager to adult, the reality set in that medical school was not an option. I was on my own. From 18 to 22 years old, I often changed jobs. I literally worked every job, from accounting to wardrobe. I wanted to go off the beaten path and build stability for my future children. Finally, on May 2, 2001, at 23, I joined the California Army National Guard.
The good part was that I found a job I absolutely loved, and the best part was that I became a mother. I wanted to become full-time
Military Intelligence Unit, my job was in Human Resources, and I traveled the world.
The military has been a good/blessing and a bad/traumatizing experience. The good: I made a difference in the world and was given opportunities to create stability and structure for my family. The bad is the stigma and stereotype of being a veteran; being black and a woman is a nightmare. The bad is not getting the help I need from the military and choosing if I would be a soldier or a mother. I chose to be a mother and ended my military career in May 2009. That is an ongoing issue I have been dealing with in family court for 13 years. All my troubles could have been avoided had I had the correct stamp on my legal guardianship form when I was deployed in September 2004. Instead, my children and I have lost vital years that we can not get back.
Struggle – What hardships have you gone through in life?
Keisha Dixon: Unfortunately, I have been dealing with hardship for the last 18 years. Dealing with the family court has been more traumatizing than being deployed in Iraq for 14 months.
Because I identify as black, a woman and a veteran, I am disproportionally represented and often ignored, belittled or demonized. Yet, I have a college degree, am a homeowner, married, a 2-time bestselling author, a 2021 Betty Fisher Award recipient, and an entrepreneur. I have no criminal history and no drug or alcohol addiction. In society, it is honorable to be a veteran. Still, many veterans, myself included, are limited to accessing services because we do not have a criminal history, no drug addiction or tax-exempt military compensation benefits are considered income is rejected because that income is too high.
My hardship is dealing with the stigma, stereotypes and discrimination in family court. Our family law case has been in court for 13 years. Imagine watching your polite kindhearted everything about them changes from being fed lies and brainwashed for years. Then you are labeled as an unfit parent for speaking out and telling the truth.
Family court, children court, children services and foster care is in a state of emergency. We can not continue to sit back and allow children to be abused mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually or worse, murdered.
What do people usually not know about you?
Keisha Dixon: Most people don’t know that I enjoy singing. I sound amazing in the shower and to children.
What sets you apart from your competitors in the industry and in life?
Keisha Dixon: What makes me unique is that I am in the fight. I have custody issues starting when I was deployed to Iraq in 2004. I turned to the court for help with a simple case for a visitation schedule with no child support. 13 years later. I have not had a visitation in 7 years with my children. I am determined to have a relationship with my two children and not allow the family court to take children out of loving and nurturing family homes, creating generational trauma and financial disparities. My team and I have started our work with the award-winning Reimagining Child Safety Demand Letter, Fortitude Empowerment Center and Senate Bill 1182. We are in the process of creating other legislative actions that manage family court and add services to the Veteran Court.
What are your upcoming major events?
Keisha Dixon: Our upcoming events are the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Spa Raffles fundraisers that will be held in May and June. Our 30-Day Family Fun Series: Fun on the Farm in June, Cruise in August, and Bowling in November.
Follow us on Instagram @empowered_by_fortitude or join us on Facebook at Fortitude Empowerment Center.
Fortitude Empowerment Center | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
We accept applications for our Exclusive Membership and appreciate donations of any size all year.
What expert advice would you like to give?
Keisha Dixon: Good Question: professionally, I advise people to research or pay attention to the behavior of people, even if they were introduced or referred professionally to you. For example, how did you hear about this person? How long have you known them? Do you know others that have worked with them? How was the quality of the work? Did they have a good work ethic? Would you do business with them or trust your valuables around them? Be bold and ask questions personally or professionally to make the best decision for yourself and the people you impact. As for social, I recommend giving yourself options and resting.
What are your social media and other links?
Keisha Dixon: Keisha Dixon | Instagram | Linktree
Fortitude Empowerment Center | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
R. Harwood is the writer and editor in chief of TheCelebrity.Online – Read more on our About Us page.