Oral history interview with Queen Afi Gaston, 2020

Biographical Note

Queen Afi Gaston was born in Washington, DC in 1975. Gaston's father was a preacher and her mother a government worker and homemaker. She grew up on Rhode Island Avenue with brothers, Calvin and Chris. In the 1980s, the crack epidemic gripped her neighborhood. When she was eleven, she saw her parents help some young men who had been shot and came through their door. Her older brother, Calvin, became a dealer, and she later followed in his steps after high school. As teenagers, Gaston's best friend, Lashawndia, was murdered by her child's father. At the age of twenty-one, Gaston was married. She and husband Antwon had a daughter, Anaiona, in 1996. She filed for divorce a few years later, and later had two sons. Gaston was living a double-life to support herself, working in an administrative job with the government and as a drug dealer. She began using drugs herself, but had a turning point after she fell asleep at the wheel while her son was in the car. Her move away from street life was gradual, but she started pursuing a college education. She began advocacy work in domestic violence, and she founded the organization Domestic Violence Wears Many Tags (DVWMT) in 2009. Despite her activism, tragedy hit close to home. In 2016, Anaiona was murdered by her boyfriend when their daughter Blake was two months old. In the 2020s, Gaston was serving as a motivational speaker and mental health professional

Scope and Contents

In this interview, Queen Afi Gaston discusses her life history, the life of her daughter Anaiona, and the subjects of guns and domestic violence. She describes her life growing up in Washington, DC, her family structure, the influence of her parents and brothers, and characteristics of her personality. Throughout the interview, she muses on DNA and continuity of traits across generations. Gaston describes the street culture of Washington, DC in the 1980s-1990s, including drugs, a prevalence of guns, and the necessary demeanor for this environment. She narrates early incidents of gun violence in her life including the story of a close friend was murdered by a partner. She discusses aspects of mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She describes her marriage, divorce, and the dynamics of this and other relationships. She describes how a car accident was a turning point for moving away from a drugs and crime lifestyle. She describes her daughter Anaiona and her radiant personality. Gaston describes her daughter's relationship with Malik Fields, and her own misgivings about him. She details the events of Anaiona's murder, and the challenges for Gaston's granddaughter, Blake, in living in the aftermath of this trauma. Gaston muses about topics of resilience, strength, emotional intelligence, and defensive communication. She describes her own story of domestic violence (as both abuser and abused), and how she thought that Anaiona could end up in a domestic violence situation despite Gaston's activism. The interview closes with a general discussion of gun culture in America

Subjects

• Cocaine abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Drug dealers--United States.
• Family violence.
• Gaston, Queen Afi--Interviews.
• Gun control--United States.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Psychic trauma--Social aspects.
• Victims of family violence--Services for--United States.
• Violent crimes--United States.
• Washington (D.C.)--History.
• Werner-Thomas, Holly, interviewer.

Access Conditions

Copyright by Queen Afi Gaston. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold a non-exclusive license to enable library activities