🦋 A Legacy of Seeing People: The Story Behind WWX17
Every organization has a story. WWX17 was born from both profound loss and unwavering faith. I am honored that MSW Intern Chanel Campbell captured the heart behind our mission and the legacy of Wesley and Waymond II. I invite you to read and learn more about the principles that continue to guide our work: Justice. Love. Legacy.
-Dr. Cynthia B. Brown, MSW
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On October 7th, 2026, I had the pleasure of interviewing the co-founder of the WayWesX17 Homeless Project (WWX17), Dr. Cynthia Brown.
💜 The stories she shared about her experiences of grief and pain in the loss of her sons, Wesley and Waymond II, underlined just how much she had experienced, leading her to transform, as Dr. Brown would describe, into a butterfly and to turn their legacies into the creation of WWX17.
🙏 Dr. Brown's love for her family is deeply rooted in her love for God. Like WWX17, her path is rooted in justice, love, and her family's legacy.
🎤 Dr. Brown described Waymond II through his strengths, including the gift of his word and how it was seen in his poetry and music while he performed in the choir and youth rally, turning gospel into rap.
📝 Even up until the days before Waymond II's departure from his earthly body, he applied his creativity in the poem he left with Dr. Brown and Pastor Brown.
💙 On May 3, 2012, a medical emergency unexpectedly took Waymond II from Dr. Brown, but even still, she carried his creativity on in the world. Waymond II's creativity continues to live on through WWX17's work today.
👣 Honoring Wesley, Dr. Brown shared pregnancy memories, describing how she and her husband felt his movement before he was born, and how his presence has continued to live on long after his 23 minutes of life.
🕊️ Although Wesley's life was brief, the memories and meaning Dr. Brown shared made it clear that his legacy was never measured only by the amount of time he lived. His 23 minutes became part of the way her family has continued to honor him.
❤️ As she spoke about both Wesley and Waymond II, it became clear that their lives are not remembered only through loss. They are carried forward through the values and work that WWX17 represents.
👁️ Another theme that stood out during my conversation with Dr. Brown was invisibility.
She described moments in her own life when she felt unseen, including during some of the most painful experiences surrounding Waymond II's death.
🤝 That feeling of being invisible helped me better understand why the way WWX17 sees people matters so much. The organization is not built around reducing people to a circumstance, such as homelessness, grief, or hardship.
✨ Instead, its work is rooted in recognizing the whole person.
🏠 That same idea can be seen in WWX17's grief-informed and justice-rooted approach to homelessness.
📚 Its work emphasizes empowerment, access, education, and reintegration, shifting the focus away from charity and toward dignity, agency, and connection.
💪 People are not defined by what they are experiencing, and support is not presented as rescue. The work creates space for people to be seen beyond the circumstances that brought them there. Justice. Love. Legacy.
These values are reflected throughout the work of WWX17.
Justice can be seen in recognizing the systems and barriers that affect people's lives.
❤️ Love is reflected in the care and humanity behind the work.
🌱 Legacy continues when the lives and values of the people we love are carried forward with purpose.
💜 Wesley and Waymond II remain part of that purpose, not only through their names or the moments used to honor them, but through the values that continue to shape WWX17.
🌟 Although WWX17's work reaches beyond Dr. Brown's family story, the original heart of the organization is still present.
The experiences that once made her feel unseen became part of a movement that intentionally sees others.
🤲 In the work of WWX17, people experiencing homelessness and other hardships are not treated as problems to be solved. They are people whose dignity, strengths, experiences, and voices matter.
🦋 Wesley and Waymond II remain deeply present in the work Dr. Brown continues today. Waymond II's creativity and the memories she carries of Wesley continue to shape how she sees and responds to others.
💫 Her own experiences of feeling unseen have made seeing the person before the circumstance an important part of the work. Justice. Love. Legacy.
This is more than a phrase connected to WWX17. It reflects where the organization came from and the way Dr. Brown hopes people at the center of the work will be seen.
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