A Conversation with Deborah and Misty

Deborah Turner Ray

Deborah Turner Ray

The state president and regional chairman of the NAACP wasn’t handed her accolades. She went through much in life to become the person she is today. Deborah Turner Ray, coming from a middle-class family with hard working parents, whose mother was a top fundraiser for the organization Deborah is a regional chairman of, the NAACP.

Deborah was a victim of domestic violence in her first marriage, “That was a very hard thing to go through, because of low self-esteem and I stayed in that marriage…the last time he hit me I hit him back”. She explains how she was doing drugs at the time, particularly cocaine and eventually broke off her marriage with her abusive husband.

“The drugs were more important then him and the marriage”. She had a daughter at this point and after leaving the marriage she stayed with family for a while and married the person she is still with now, overtime he found God. This turned her life around and she elevated to become the woman she is now. “I stopped smoking cigarettes after 43 years, I stopped in 2011”. She has helped the youth and works now helping and uplifting the youth through NAACP and her own tuition.

Misty Franklin

A story of inspiration that dealt with childhood trauma, domestic violence, and pain. Misty Franklin overcame those barring’s and is now giving back to pay it forward. She was a straight A student in high school and went onto college where she met a man who she dated and came to find out he lived a double life. He was trafficking large amounts of drugs and eventually got her to partake in those activities as well. Taking care of his son and him, later he was incarcerated, and she continued to do his work for him which led her to be arrested. “My loyalty was to him, so I said all of the drugs were mine”.

Misty Franklin

She did time in prison for 2 years and once she was out, she went back to him. Shortly, he ended up popping a blood vessel in her eye which led to her leaving him. “Is this the road you really want to take, because if you do you may not make it to the next day”, is what she asked herself. Gaining courage and discipline, she eventually left him and started working on herself and to grow into someone that could help others.

Misty now works with at a bottom facilitator and works with people inside of prisons ad the youth facility to uplift them, talk to them, and let the know life can be better when you have a perseverance. “I love students and I love this work”, Misty inspires many through her experience, knowledge, and faith.