I believe every person’s story could be made into a major motion picture, complete with all the things we hold dear. Joyous celebration, heart-rending grief, challenges to overcome, and lessons to learn. These are the things that make a movie enjoyable, and these are the moments that comprise our lives. As Veronica Williams generously shared her story with me, it reminded me of this. She also reminded me how each of our stories matters because we matter. A reminder we matter not for what we have done, but for who we are.  

Like many in our community, Veronica was born at Cottage Hospital, but Lompoc was her family’s home, where she has spent most of her life. She first attended Hapgood Elementary, then LVMS, and graduated from Lompoc High School. She grew up with her two brothers under the guidance of parents that had been together since high school. Parents who demonstrated through their actions how to be generous and giving to others as well as empathetic to another’s journey. Her dad also taught her to find confidence in who she is, reminding her when opportunities arose that, what she wore, how much money she had, or her skin color, didn’t define who she was, nor did these things define who others were. Veronica shares how her mom, in her early 30s at the time, was diagnosed with progressive MS. Watching how her mother’s life changed as the disease progressed also altered hers. Veronica reflected on how she knew her relationship with her mom differed from her peers, solely due to her mother’s progressive illness. However, she also recognized this opened up opportunities for other experiences. “My mom taught me to find the sunshine in the rain,” Veronica explains. “She was my biggest supporter and believed in me, no matter what. So how dare I quit trying to achieve what I wanted when my mom didn’t.”

Watching her parents through the years, Veronica witnessed how they worked through their problems and challenges together and tried to do the same with her marriage. However, it takes two working towards the same goal to accomplish things as her parents had, and for Veronica, this wasn’t the case, so she found herself making some tough decisions. She recounts how her children needed a consistent and safe foundation with love and respect, just as she had experienced, and she realized it was her responsibility as their mother to ensure this. Thus, she found herself in a safe house in Germany with two young boys, one five years of age and the other only three days old. She had no resources and very little support other than that back home in the US and her belief in herself. The courage, strength, and belief in herself she had learned from her parents saw her through the next six weeks of putting things in place to return to Lompoc with her children.  

Not surprisingly, having children and raising two boys has helped shape who Veronica is today. Her focus is on supporting and providing for them, but also teaching them what it means to be a good person and the importance of how you think of yourself. “Raising two black men in America makes me think about every move I make because they are watching me, and it affects them directly.” She talks pragmatically about their discussions and how situations may need to be handled differently from their friends because of their skin color. What is perceived as normal mischievous or youthful behavior from white children can sometimes be construed as dangerous or aggressive behavior from black children. This perception can mean the difference between life and death.

In 2014, Veronica was hospitalized for a month with pulmonary embolisms, which was a turning point for her. “As my parents and family came to visit, it made me realize I wasn’t invincible. Everything stopped, and I learned I had to rest, to find balance in life which may not include working three jobs.” It was also when she learned to ‘respect the reality of the moment’, let go of expectations, and begin preparing her children to live without her emotionally and mentally. To teach them to believe in themselves as she had believed in herself and to know they are as good as anyone else. “I want their inner dialogue to be ‘I am just as good as anybody else,’ because it was this belief that got me through the domestic violence and sustained me as a single parent for the first part of their lives.”

Since returning to Lompoc to raise her family, Veronica has embraced not only her children, striving to teach them the values she learned, but also many other children in our community. She initially was doing this as a daycare provider but soon saw so much unmet need she created her own nonprofit, Stand4One, to meet those needs herself to the best of her ability. Last year, with local businesses and family support, Stand4One coordinated a COVID safe trick-or-treating event, complete with candy, games, and food attended by approximately 800 children. With Veronica’s guidance and assistance from the business community, Stand4One also provided cooked meals to 150 families in our community to celebrate Thanksgiving. As she speaks about her nonprofit and the children it is dedicated to, her gaze becomes very intense, but a smile takes over her entire face, and there is a joyous enthusiasm to her words. The love she has for the youth in our community is almost palpable. She mentions in passing being recognized recently for her efforts by the National Women’s Business Owners (NAWBO) as Philanthropist of the Year in Santa Barbara County. As I asked more about the honor, she shared it flattered her that someone took an interest in her story and cared. She knew other organizations had raised more money and perhaps had more impact, so she questioned if the award was because of her skin color. She appreciated the honesty of, yes, that was a factor as the organization had made an effort to be more diverse in who was considered for recognition because of the awareness events like the George Floyd protests had brought to systemic oppression. Veronica also shared how she was grateful to see the growth of these women and to be one of the first persons of color recognized by a group of predominately white women.  

As we continue to discuss our community, it is apparent how much she cares for each young person with unmet challenges or who lacks support. Seeing this reality daily, she has returned to school and is currently enrolled at Cuesta for a Child Development Degree with the end goal of opening her own preschool and partnering with agencies like Gateway in Goleta. Partnerships that would allow her to offer support and assistance to her former students through high school. “I can’t be 40 wondering why these kids are breaking into a car or complaining about the gang problem when I was unwilling to help them when they were younger,” she states, so she continues to find ways to help.  

And Veronica’s heroes? She quickly states her parents, of course, and then looks somewhat puzzled momentarily before reaffirming it is her parents. There was no puzzle for me, however, after our conversation. Veronica’s belief that we are all equal no matter the possessions we have, the title we answer to, how we dress, the color of our hair or skin is so strong that everyone is equal and deserving in her perception. How do you single out one or two persons? 

For me, I am grateful for Veronica, her generous heart and kind wisdom, and thankful she has chosen Lompoc as her home. ~♥~