A Statement from WAESN Executive Director

In response to the hit piece written by Luke Rosiak in the Daily Wire:

I am unsurprised that my work and my personal life have come under attack by the likes of Luke Rosiak and Ben Shapiro. It is only evidence that the work I do and the life I live are important and full of good deeds. I thank them for the affirmation. In regards to the content of the piece, almost all of it, unsurprisingly, is false.

First, my ex husband, Ron Hammond, is an abusive narcissist who is angry that he can’t persuade me to go back to him after 14 years of divorce. He lost custody of our youngest child due to severely neglecting their educational and social-emotional needs. Contributing to this hit piece is simply a continuation of his decades-long emotional and psychological abuse. His claims would be laughable if they did not cause emotional harm to our child for several years prior to this piece.

My father, Richard Castro, is a deeply troubled, ultra conservative, conspiracy theorist and doomsday prepper. He is driven by his need to assimilate into the dominant culture and is convinced that the government and “liberals,” most notably Black Americans, are out to get him. He equates poverty with being a bad father, and is angry that I told the world we were poor growing up. Through no fault of his own, my Mexican-American father was not able to provide a steady income for our family until he took advantage of affirmative action laws in California in the late 80’s. He’s nothing if he’s not a hard worker. The six figure income stated in the piece, however, didn’t manifest until I was an adult with a family of my own.

I left my ex-husband in 2008. I left California in 2010 because there was nothing there for me but abuse and psychological instability from those around me. I married my late husband in 2012 and lost him to heart disease in 2018.

As for my late husband, Brian Gill, the claims of his past are true. He committed a horrific, inexcusable crime in 1982. It was his first and last crime of any type in his life. He did prison time and was rehabilitated. After being released from prison, he learned a trade, bought a home, and cared for his late partner, her two children, and two grandchildren, the latter of whom vouched for him in the custody case between myself and my ex-husband. The court ruled that my child was better off in our custody than with their biological father even with Brian’s past conviction. That says more about my ex-husband than my late husband. I am a better person for knowing and loving Brian Gill.

This most recent attack relies on the thoughts and perspectives of individuals that do not and have not been in relationship with me for years, exposing the desperation of conservative pundits to undermine my anti-racist work. I am currently exploring legal remedies to this personal attack full of lies and misinformation. I’m working closely with my professional partners who fully support me. I appreciate those of you who have reached out publicly and privately to offer your support.

Onward.