LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The pain one feels when they lose a loved one is indescribable, but community can make all the difference in the healing process.
Several mothers gathered at Pinot's Palette in Lexington on Saturday to express their loss through art therapy.
Alisa Hairston and Tonya Lindsey created the event to bring grieving mothers and women of gun violence together and lean on one another. The room was filled with 14 mothers who have been impacted by gun violence. They picked up a paintbrush and took out their pain on the canvas.
"We don't really get enough recognition and enough understanding of what we go through every day. And every mother in this room has lost someone, a child, someone has lost their only child," says Lindsey.
"Berkley. Berkley Odell Taylor Parks, he was an energetic person, a good student, good athlete, a good son," describes Hairston.
Hairston paints for her son Berkley who was only a teenager when he was shot and killed in 2021. She describes his personality as a bright light, "When he walked into a room, his smile lit up the room. He was a breath of fresh air, honey."
Lindsey paints for her son, Ezavion Lindsey, who was killed by his brother in 2013 at 16 years old.
"He was a charismatic person. He was a family person. He was a good student, a good son, a good brother, a good uncle, I mean he was all of those things wrapped up into one," describes Lindsey. "So I'm never going to let his name down."
Now, the pair brings other mothers together who have been dealing with loss to uplift each other. According to Crown Counseling, art therapy has been proven to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress by 73%.
"Mother's are truly, truly traumatized and we all have been diagnosed with PTSD and I want them to realize, I want America to really understand, this is real," explains Hairston. "You know we didn't ask for this, we didn't sign up for it."
Alisa says she chose the group painting of a half filled wine glass up against a sun setting on the ocean. To her, the half-filled glass represents losing a part of yourself when you've lost a loved one. The sun setting is a light of hope that one day they will all see.
"We need to put the guns down to stop the violence because you're destroying families, you're destroying lives, you're destroying the community," says Lindsey. She goes on to say it's not just the victim that's affected. It's also the suspect's families that are hurt by their actions.
If you or someone you know suffers from PTSD due to gun violence, call the PTSD hotline at (866) 903-3787
