Herstory

On April 23, 2021, our beloved Ramona Elizabeth Rodriguez’s life was brutally taken by her ex-partner. After years of living under the shadow of domestic violence, she decided to break-free and embark upon a journey of self-discovery. She was determined to reclaim her self-worth and happiness by distancing herself from the entity which drained her self-esteem. In true, and expected behavior, her abuser lost control when he realized that she could live without him. Although her life was short lived, Ramona Elizabeth, lovingly known as our Butterfly, transformed to live her life to the fullest and making up for lost time when she lived in darkness.  

In hindsight, the family sits in shock and putting pieces together on how we have ended up here - without our butterfly. We wish that we knew back then what we know now... Shortly after loosing Elizabeth, we decided to join forces with local organizations in Washington Heights to bring Domestic Violence Awareness even louder because we don't think it is loud enough. We now have #longliveourbutterfly, a Domestic Violence Awareness movement and through Elizabeth's story we hope to save even if it is just one life through education, sharing resources, public and confidential/identity protection events in conjunction with the organization based community of Washington Heights. It is too late for us but we might be right in time to make an impact on someone else's life...

Elizabeth had the most contagious smile and loved spending time with family and friends. When she was not around his presence/control, she was super loving, funny, caring for those that she loved, gave the best advise but could never self-apply. She went through self destruction for many years as she was lost in his world but eventually decided to change her life. She began to focus on her health, self esteem and happiness. She blossomed into a beautiful soul, full of life that enjoyed make up tutorials on youtube, fashion statements, motivational audio books, discovered her hidden karaoke singing talent and she loved dancing. Right before losing her life, she would talk about how amazing life was and how you can smell and taste freedom if you really pay attention... she became so self motivated that she challenged herself to apply for work for the first time... and just as she found substance behind her smile, purpose behind her presence and strength behind her womanhood... we lost her.

Enough is Enough.

The #longliveourbutterfly family is petitioning to change the street name from 167th street and Audubon Avenue to 167th street and Elizabeth's Way. This high traffic corner shall serve as a constant physical reminder of Elizabeth's story. We hope that when an abuser passes through Elizabeth's Way, it can serve as a wake up call to make a change for the better, to seek help or any option other than abuse and/or hurting themselves or their partner. This corner will be a physical place where all Domestic Violence Survivors can remember that they are still here, they matter and they still can. This corner will be a physical place where anyone who has lost a loved one to Domestic Violence can remember their story and be motivated to continue to promote awareness. In this corner, the family and friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez can mourn her, but we can also uplift the lives she will impact and possibly save. In this corner, Elizabeth's daughters and grandson's can have a physical place where the remembrance of their mom/grand-mother's name promotes healing...

Your signature can help our family's petition to change the corner of 167th street and Audubon Avenue to 167th street and Elizabeth's Way... Would you please help us out?

Towards Justice and Healing,

The #longliveourbutterfly family