New Chattanooga nonprofit helps those who are young, Black and widowed (and others, too)

Brooke Bragger Photography / From left are Azurae, Matthew, 3, and Holt, 4, Johnson Redmond. "It turns out our second child looks exactly like my late husband," Redmond says.
Brooke Bragger Photography / From left are Azurae, Matthew, 3, and Holt, 4, Johnson Redmond. "It turns out our second child looks exactly like my late husband," Redmond says.

Azurae Johnson Redmond's new nonprofit is an uncanny culmination of her experiences thus far: the mentor mindset she developed through volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters; the research she performed as a volunteer caseworker for the Red Cross; the sense of drowning she felt after losing her husband when she was just 27.

"I was five months pregnant and had my 10-month-old on my hip, wondering, 'What do I do now?'" says Redmond, now 31, recalling the sudden death of her former college sweetheart, Matthew Holt Redmond, at age 32.

Matthew hadn't been feeling well, but they chalked his difficulty breathing up to allergies and his fatigue to being overworked as they prepared for their second son. Ultimately, however, a specialist revealed that he had lung cancer, despite him having never smoked.

One year after being declared cancer-free, Matthew unexpectedly collapsed and died.

Without family in the area to help her, Redmond reeled. She fumbled her way through the process of settling the estate and transferring all of the proper documentation: trips to attorneys' offices, the Social Security office, the hospital and funeral home. She nearly sold their house, but then learned of the pension through Matthew's electrical engineering job.

"I was in complete panic mode," Redmond says. "That 'What do I do now?' is what I built my nonprofit on."

On the third anniversary of her husband's death, she decided to launch Young, Black and Widowed, offering comfort and aid to widows and widowers. While she wants to make sure people of color, especially the "small niche" of young widows and widowers of color, know they have a targeted resource through her nonprofit, anyone is welcome to join, Redmond says.

"There are white people in our support group, Black people, Asian people, young people, old people," she says, adding that she also expressly welcomes LGBTQ. "I think that's what makes our support group so special: We find the commonalities within everyone's experience."

Another thing that sets Redmond's group apart, she says, is the advice offered through podcasts featuring related professionals like funeral directors and estate lawyers, as well as personal research for those who call the nonprofit's support line. She and her trained staff of volunteers - all widows and widowers themselves - will compile a listing of Black mental health professionals in the area (she recommends formal therapy in addition to her support group) or the nearest health department and the appropriate forms, for example. They'll help find the answers to questions like "How do I transfer our health insurance?" or "What kind of financial steps should I take now?"

" I didn't have the resources I'm providing, which is more than just a support group," Redmond says. "It's based on my experience and what I didn't know."

She also couldn't have known how many people would end up needing her support - more than 1,000 since the nonprofit's September launch, not counting those accessing her podcast and virtual support groups from around the world. She couldn't have fathomed that a new disease would disproportionately rob people of color of their ability to breathe, and ultimately their life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant also learning how to counsel people through the unique grief and guilt of not getting to say goodbye in person, of hugs and whispered memories being replaced with video chats on computer screens. The influx has been so great, she's dedicated a support group to those widowed by COVID-19.

"I think my husband would be absolutely overjoyed at the work that's been done," she says, noting one component in particular that holds true for: a scholarship offered to help widows and widowers better their lives for themselves and their families.

"My husband and I always wanted to start a scholarship for young Black engineers at Tennessee Tech," Redmond says of the alma mater where she and Matthew both earned bachelor's degrees in engineering.

GET INVOLVED

To connect with Young, Black and Widowed, visit youngblackwidowed.org. Aside from the time of day each group is offered, there are targeted groups for those with young children or who have lost their spouse to COVID-19, for example. While most are virtual, there is an in-person offering for locals.

The nonprofit's support line is staffed from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., "even open on holidays," says Redmond. Call 423-401-9274.

"All our services are 100% free," she stresses.

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