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Mrs.
Hanshaw is a native of Biloxi, born August 9, 1954 to the late Rev. and Mrs.
Louis Peyton. Mrs. Hanshaw is a graduate of Biloxi High School class of
1972. She went on to establish her own beauty salon which she operated for
more than 20 years.
Mrs. Hanshaw has
followed in the footsteps of her father as she has committed herself to a
lifetime of community service. She has worked with the Star Education Center
which offered free literacy classes for local residents. Mrs Hanshaw is an
active member of the Biloxi Chapter NAACP where she serves as the Asst.
Secretary.
Mrs. Hanshaw has
three daughters who are also very active and instrumental in community
efforts. Along with working within CWC they are active members of the local
NAACP chapter. With her daughter and 2 grandchildren at her side Mrs.
Hanshaw is ensuring that the family's service to community is being carried
on.
Since Aug 29,
2005 she has focused her energy towards enabling the community in the
rebuilding process and overcoming the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Her
efforts led her to a group of women looking for a way to voice their
concerns about the direction and future of the community. Through her
efforts and with the support of the faithful few Coastal Women for Change
was born. In part, due to the generous funding of the 21st Century
Foundation, Coastal Women for Change became a recognized non-profit
organization on May 8, 2006. The efforts of CWC has quickly become the model
of grassroots involvement throughout the community across the coast .
As each
hurricane season approaches, Mrs. Hanshaw has become a force of nature,
creating a database of emergency contacts and prescriptions, and proposing
ideas such as using public television or Wal-Mart to disseminate the
locations of displaced community members, holding a women's healing retreat
in Hattiesburg or Gulfport, and promoting financial literacy for people
receiving disaster assistance and insurance money. She's also vocal about
the physical and mental health hazards of confined trailer housing for so
many Mississippians, including herself.
Mrs. Hanshaw
hopes to lead CWC in becoming a long term community planning and building
foundation with significant input in the City Counselor’s and Mayor’s
offices. It is Mrs. Hanshaws’ belief that a strong community starts with a
strong family. She labors to see women being made healthy and whole and for
the environment to be safe and secure. For Mrs. Hanshaw another pillar of a
strong community is that everyone be treated equally and with dignity and
respect. She is fast becoming a local and worldwide force for Human Rights
Interest.
With her recent
trip to Tsunami stricken India she has brought back to the Gulf Coast a view
of what could be worse and surely what could be better in the recovery and
redevelopment process. Sharing issues, hardships and solutions with
survivors of a similar tragedy from half way around the world has given Mrs.
Hanshaw a new perspective and a drive to move forward. |
