Lakisha Cohill, a Birmingham, AL native, emerged from the struggle and overcame being considered an at-risk child. Having navigated the challenges of the streets, including involvement in illegal activities, Lakisha's transformative journey was sparked by a heartbreaking loss. The tragic death of her baby brother to gun violence, perpetrated by teenagers, prompted her to leave the streets behind. Keep reading to discover how this Tech Queen found strength in youthful creative expressions.
Despite the profound pain, Lakisha found the strength to forgive those responsible. However, the tragedy propelled her into a mission to break the cycle for other at-risk youth. Recognizing the struggles these young individuals faced in the streets, she became passionately dedicated to guiding them onto a legal and positive path.
Lakisha holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and leverages her seasoned, compassionate, and dedicated mental health expertise. She is not only a mental health professional but also the owner of H&C INK LLC, a cinematography company. Additionally, she serves as a production manager, videographer, scriptwriter, and content creator for Kinigra Deon Enterprise and Family a YouTube channel for youth that has 3.76 million followers with approximately 600,000 video views.
For the past decade, Lakisha has channeled her experience and creativity into connecting with and mentoring at-risk and disadvantaged youth. Witnessing these young individuals grapple with expressing their emotions, she felt compelled to address the deeper issues affecting them. In response, Lakisha founded the Cohill Foundation, utilizing art as a transformative tool. The foundation aims to help youth gain self-understanding, learn effective coping methods, process emotions, and work through their problems.
Latisha founded a mentoring program that enabled her to generate funds by offering media services in exchange for donations to support the street children and show them the existing legal ways to gain capital. This experience ignited her passion for photography, where she skillfully transformed moments that seemed ugly into radiant and beautiful memories.
In addition to her deep affection for children, Lakisha developed a profound love for families, parents, and mothers within her community, aiming to challenge and change the prevalent stereotype about marginalized Black individuals. In 2017, she initiated the #MyBlackIsBeautiful Movement, dedicating herself to creating content that showcased the positive aspects of the Black community, including black lawyers, fathers actively parenting, doctors, and married couples.
Lakisha's aspirations for success materialized in 2017 when she captured the powerful image of nine black mothers breastfeeding their babies, a photograph that quickly gained viral recognition. Since then, Lakisha has been featured in esteemed platforms such as People Magazine, Popsugar, BET, YAHOO, Essence, and Ebony, solidifying her presence as a notable and influential figure in the field of photography and community empowerment.
Through the Cohill Foundation, Lakisha is revolutionizing the lives of numerous youths by imparting skills in various forms of creative expression, such as photography, culinary arts, dance, visual arts, music, and poetry. This initiative aims to assist young individuals in processing their emotions, feelings, and negative experiences that emerged due to traumatic experiences.
The widely embraced creative art programs offered by the foundation empower youth to:
⦁ Acquire effective strategies for emotion regulation
⦁ Transform negative core beliefs about themselves
⦁ Minimize involvement in high-risk behaviors, such as interpersonal violence
⦁ Undergo healing from histories of trauma
Through these transformative avenues, Lakisha is fostering a supportive environment for the youth to discover and nurture their creative potential while addressing and overcoming personal challenges.
Lakisha's guiding philosophy is reflected in her quote: "Use your creativity to tap into your internal power for external growth and healing." Through her multifaceted roles and the Cohill Foundation, she continues to be a beacon of change, turning personal tragedy into a source of inspiration for those who need it most.
Visit https://www.thecohillfoundation.org for more or to connect with Lakshia.
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