Cleveland, OH, February 4, 2014 – On a day like any other, Yvonne Pointer’s life was unexpectedly torn apart. But instead of admitting defeat, she dug deep to find courage, and faith, and empathy for other parents who lost their children to violence. Now, with a recent arrest and a trial pending, her family might see justice done at last.
On December 6, 1984, Pointer’s 14-year-old daughter Gloria was abducted, raped, and brutally murdered. That horrific episode in Yvonne Pointer’s life catapulted her into the role of a local, national, and international activist working tirelessly towards safer communities. In May, 2013, an arrest was made after a DNA match was found.
Since that time nearly thirty years ago, Pointer has become a sought-after motivational speaker and a symbol of hope for hundreds of families touched by violence.
Pointer established the “Gloria Pointer Scholarship Fund” in Cleveland, Ohio and has raised more than $30,000 dollars in scholarship contributions. Internationally, she funds the “Gloria Pointer Teen Movement” in Ghana, West Africa feeding, educating, and clothing disadvantaged youth. Currently, she is spearheading a national movement to raise funds to build a school in Ghana, in memory of her daughter.
Dynamic and persuasive, she has been a featured speaker at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., the Chautauqua Institution and other events. She is the author of several inspirational and motivational titles, including Behind The Death of A Child, Word From The Mother, Two Dollars in My Pocket, and has contributed to Chicken Soup for the African American Soul. She is a monthly featured columnist for Horizon Magazine.
Her list of honors includes; Curvation Project Confidence Awards presented by actress Queen Latifah, Essence Awards, 908th Point of Light presented by former President George W. Bush, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Community Leadership Award, the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame and most recently honored as a 2013 Classic Woman by Traditional Home Magazine.
Numerous national televisions broadcast appearances include the Oprah Winfrey
Show and others. She has appeared in Essence, Ebony and Heart & Soul Magazine. Most recently, her story was highlighted in a German documentary, “The Second Execution of Romell Broom.” Pointer is currently being considered for a film depicting her life story from the book God Whispered In My Ear, which is being written by journalist Margaret Bernstein.
To learn more about the life and works of Yvonne Pointer, please visit www.yvonnepointer.com