Brenda Williams: When a job is a “calling”

As the Grimes County Crime Victims Coordinator, Brenda Williams provides a lifeline to victims during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Many who know her would say that what she does is more than a job, it’s a “calling.”

Made for the job

It was during the eighth grade that Williams moved from Industry, Texas, to Navasota. Her father would become the pastor of Truevine Baptist Church and hold that position until his death.

Williams said, “My parents were the most influential people in my life. My dad was a giving person, my mom also. They were the people who paved the way for me to learn how to live, love and just give to mankind.”

After graduating from Navasota High School, a friend suggested they enroll in a business administration course sponsored by Prairie View A&M University.

Laughing, Williams said, “Everything we were taught, I didn’t realize I would need, especially in the law area.”

After Prairie View, Williams worked in District Clerk Wayne Rucker’s office until District Attorney (DA) David Barron approached her about the crime victim position saying, “This is the perfect job for you. You’re already doing it.”

Williams had some reservations about moving into a different position, but she received a lot of encouragement and did her due diligence by attending every training she could. When the department head position came open later, she wondered why no one applied for it but was told again, “Everybody knows this position is for you. You’re made for it.”

Williams said, “And this is where God has taken me thus far.”

Victims first

In her role as Crime Victim Coordinator, Williams works with Cori Mooney in the county attorney’s office and Gilverta Diaz in the district attorney’s office of behalf of crime victims.

She said, “My duty is to make sure victims are afforded their rights from the beginning with law enforcement until it’s passed on to the District Attorney’s office. Even afterward, I still make sure my victims are taken care of.”

She continued, “We have victims of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, thefts, burglaries, identity theft and our prosecuting district attorney wants to make sure that everybody is afforded their rights in court.”

According to Williams, many crime victims need counseling, and some are in dire financial straits.

She said, “When a victim is in a domestic violence situation, she doesn’t have a home. Sometimes that home is taken away because her name isn’t on it because it’s family property. Sometimes they’re taken out of their comfort zone into an area where family is not around.” Besides arranging for mental health counseling and relocation, Williams has helped victims obtain vehicles for transportation. She has a vast network of contacts in Brazos, Montgomery and Waller counties and “gets help wherever I can.”

That network also includes a list of anonymous donors who have reached out to Williams to provide food or money to relocate a victim from a perpetrator.

A helping hand

Exposed to the worst side of humanity, what motivates Williams to come to work each day?

She said, “I can give someone a helping hand. I can get them out of a situation they thought they couldn’t get out of. It gives me joy to know I can be of one of those people to help them.”

Even the most perfect job has its worst and best moments. For Williams, worst is explaining to a person or family that they’re working on a case but haven’t solved it yet and “when you can’t give them closure.”

The best moments are giving 100% and getting the best results.

However, Williams’ 100% best effort doesn’t clock out at 4:30 p.m. - she is on-call 24/7. She also acknowledges there are cases you can’t forget.

Williams in involved in pre-trial prep and admits it’s difficult with children but said, “It’s rewarding to get them out of the situation. They no longer have to suffer, and we’ve had children suffer. Thank God for Andria (Bender, DA) and Tuck (Judge McLain, County Court at Law), they’re victim driven.”

She said, “I do take it home sometimes, but I have this wonderful husband (Lionel) who is so understanding. He’s so supportive even when I get calls at midnight or 2 a.m. I try not to take it home but every once in a while, you get a case, and you can’t help it. They need you. For them, things happen at midnight or in the darkness and that’s when they call you. I thank God that He’s kept me able to listen to their cries and woes until they are able to get through it.”

Williams’ ringside seat to broken and shattered lives has impacted how she’s dealt with young people in her personal life. She impressed upon her two daughters and her church’s youth group the importance of “making sure you’re safe and letting people know you’re safe.”

She said, “I was probably overprotective because of what I’ve seen.”

No room for judgement

Williams’ job is also about helping without judgement. She said, “I see no color. I don’t care if they’re rich or poor. I just see the person as they come.”

As for women who make “poor choices,” Williams said, “I have an opportunity to direct them to a better choice. Sometimes they make it over and over until one day it clicks that they’re ready to get out of the situation. Some are afraid because of finances. They stay for the children until they are grown because they don’t want it to be a harder life than they already have.”

The voice of experience

Having seen the worst and best of people’s life decisions, s, Williams has several pieces of advice for young people - seek a life partner who shares their ideas of what life is, talk to other people and learn from their experiences, don’t disregard classes because their value later in life isn’t understood now, and use the talent God has given them to help others.

Williams added, “Caring for one another is probably the most important thing. If we don’t have integrity or determination, we can’t be great leaders. It’s not all about being in the limelight. It’s about what you do behind the door that matters. Just be there for somebody.”