Unarmed But Dangerous:
The Tawana Williams Story of Relentless Struggle
and Ultimate Victory
In Unarmed but Dangerous, Tawana
Williams tells the poignant story of being born
without arms, surviving the trauma of gang rape,
abortion, the miraculous birth of her daughter,
and drug addiction. Today, Tawana speaks to people
across the country, encouraging them to look beyond
their circumstances and to accept God’s gift
of freedom without limitations.
Part I:
The Presidential Challenge
The book begins by telling the compelling
story of how Tawana’s mother, a young black
woman in1963, experienced fainting and nausea so
severe that her doctor prescribed the drug thalidomide.
Not realizing the side effects or what impact this
drug would have on her child, she took the thalidomide.
The drug, which decreased her fainting and nausea,
would cause damage far beyond her human understanding.
When her baby girl was born, the
doctor would not allow her to see her. Instead,
he instructed the nurse to keep sedated. For three
days following her child’s birth, she was
not allowed to see her. Once she did, to her horror,
she saw that her child did not have arms and that
her legs were also impaired. Her life would now
take on a new challenge; the challenge of rearing
a severely, physically handicapped, black child
in the early 1960’s.
With the help of her mother, Tawana’s
grandmother, she learned how to care for her child
and tried coping as best as she could. After many
attempts to received assistance from Human Services,
in her desperation, she sat down and wrote a letter
to then President of the United States, John F.
Kennedy. What happened as a result of that letter
amazed the young mother.
President Kennedy wrote her a letter,
instructing her where to go for help with her child.
They also contacted the same Human Services office
who refused to assist her.
Part II:
Identity Crisis
As a result of the President’s
intervention, Tawana, at eleven months old, was
taken to Cerebral Palsy Hospital at Duke University
in Durham, NC. At the time, there were no other
Black children there because this was a White institution.
While there, Tawana experienced
an identity crisis. Since she had seen mostly Whites,
she began to believe, in her young mind that she
was White. This was evident when the hospital staff
ordered her first prosthesis, a White arm since
no Black ones were yet available. Tawana wore it
proudly. When the staff ordered her Black arm, she
refused to wear it because she believed that it
did not look like her.
The hospital staff realized that
she needed to see her family and requested that
they visit her more regularly. She soon wore the
Black arms but never liked them.
Part III-A:
The Homecoming
When Tawana, at the age of four,
returned to live with her family for the first time
since she was a baby, the children of the neighborhood
met and greeted her. Her sisters and mother told
them about Tawana and her physical condition, but
that did not prepare them.
When one of the children confronted
her about her missing arms, she returned the taunt
and made everyone laugh, including the other child.
Her strength and sense of humor would prove to be
a gift since she would soon be tested as she re-entered
the world of people with two arms.
Part III-B:
The Acceptance Factor
Because of her physical limitations,
Tawana had a great need to be accepted. This need
to be accepted would soon prove to be one of her
greatest liabilities. This need drove her to seek
friendship at any costs. Although she was an outstanding
student, she soon allowed her grades to drop so
that other students would accept her.
Once the barrier of the good grades
was gone, she connected with the drug culture. She
smoked marijuana and before she realized what was
happening, she became addicted to crack cocaine.
This began the downward spiral which would last
for over ten years.
Part IV:
The Return to Reason
Tawana is now on track for her God
given purpose, letting others know that they have
no excuse for not doing what God told them to do.
She says that she is still in the metamorphosis
phase, being changed and renewed daily. Although
unarmed, she speaks God’s love with power
and helps others know of His forgiveness. She believes
that everyone is in the midst of the creation process,
and like a moth who emerges from their cocoon as
a butterfly, is changing from glory to glory into
God’s image.
To order your copy today,
go to:
www.tawanawilliams.com
To read more, go to:
www.blog.tawanawilliams.com
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