College student, writer, entrepreneur, founder and CEO of her own organization For Brown Girls… you name it, Karyn Washington has done it.
Washington had a vision that most people of today’s generation would never be able to grasp. The ability to listen to people as they speak to her, bringing their inner most desires to the forefront then giving them the strength to expound upon that is an essential quality to have in life.
Washington’s vision soon became her mission to give advice to women of color who are afraid to step out of the box to explore their own greatest potential and encourage them to be as passionate about themselves as they are about their dreams.
“She was free spirited, she talked really fast; the type of person who could have two conversations at once. She was very creative and always tried to add a creative touch to everything. She always looked neat and well put together. She didn’t make friends with just one type of person, all of her friends were completely different from each other” said Raechelle Floyd, a friend of Washington.
Washington gave a voice to those who spent all of their lives in doubt of even having one and also opened the eyes of those individuals who never knew having self-confidence could be so important. She called it, “celebrating darker shades of brown while combatting colorism and promoting self-love.”
“Ms. Washington was an achieving student, getting ready to move onto the next part of her academic career. Both I and all of her classmates are very stunned in learning of the tragic death. I asked someone what could I have done to save her, then they asked me how many students do I have? I said, I have 80 students and they indicated that I wouldn’t be able to save them all. I would have loved to have just saved one” said Nicholas Stathopoulos, a professor within Morgan State University’s department of strategic communication who taught Washington in three courses.
Success was certainly never a stranger to Washington; it seemed to have always been at her back door. Washington served as a positive role model not only for colored women in the Baltimore community but for women everywhere.
Washington believed when you accept who you are from the inside out, you are then able to uplift others and embrace your true purpose in life. She was an inspiration to everyone around her. It was her selfless mentality that led her to the amount of success she has landed through the years. Washington’s legacy shall live on forever.
