Melanie Washington

By almost any account, Melanie Washington should have been an angry, bitter woman.  She experienced more than her share of violence. As a child, she was a victim of, and a witness to, sexual assault. She was only 10 years-old when she her mother and sister were killed in the family home. While a young woman in her twenties, her husband was murdered. Then, a parent’s worst nightmare, her son was murdered by a young man he was attempting to mentor. In examining the background of the offenders who had murdered her family members, she discovered that they each had spent time in the California juvenile justice system. She then did what some thought was unthinkable.  She went to the prison where her son’s killer was.  Not only did she meet with him, but she also forgave, befriended, and mentored him. “I can’t hate you,” she told him. “Dee loved you, and so I must love you, too.” In 1999, inspired by this and other events, Washington founded Mentoring–A Touch From Above (MATFA), a nonprofit built on the principles of forgiveness and healing. “Get rid of your anger and bitterness,” she told a group of young men during a visit to Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Center.  “Forgive your parents. Forgive your enemies. I had to forgive the boy who killed my boy and shot his face off. I asked him why he shot my boy, and he said he got tired of my son telling him to go to school. I’ll never get over the loss of my son, but I had to forgive that boy. I’m doing this for my son. God is allowing me to do that.” Melanie received great support and many accolades for her work with MATFA. The Boeing Company (her employer until her retirement) paid her salary for a full year, her story was featured in Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul, she was named Woman of the Year by the Rickrackers Long Beach Auxiliary Women’s League, and President George W. Bush presented her the Presidential Points of Light Community Service Award at the Executive Building in Washington, DC. Legendary tattoo artist Mark Mahoney tattooed Melanie’s mantra, “Forgiving the Unforgivable” onto her upper right arm during an event which honored her dedication to improving the lives of the youth and demonstrating God’s love to everyone she came into contact with. Melanie was born in Los Angeles, CA on June 28, 1955. She died peacefully at her home in Henderson, NV on November 23, 2024, at the age of 69. She leaves a legacy of unconditional love and support which we should each strive to emulate.