Advocates
Antonia Bailey
I'm Antonia Bailey, the founder of The Untold Foundation Inc. I started the foundation in honor of my oldest two children, Nicholas (16) and Ashlynn Nelson (15), who was murdered in our Postbrook apartment while getting ready for school on August 23, 2019.
As a single mother of three with little to no help making ends meet, I did the best I could while doing what I had to do. There were times that I've worked two jobs to make sure that my children had what they needed. I've had PTSD due to a tornado that my children and I were in, ironically in the same apartment complex that I lost them. I've also had my battles with depression. Still, my number one priority was raising three loving, respectable, and responsible children that would be ready to tackle the world positively.
Nicholas would have been the first young man from our immediate family to go to college, and he had aspirations to attend Purdue University so that he could become a Videogame Designer, and with his 4.0 GPA, I'm sure that he would've achieved his goal. Nick was in different community programs that allowed him to work towards a scholarship while instilling an excellent work ethic. He also worked at Walmart part-time, where he became an employee of the month twice while also working a full-time youth summer program with TeenWorks.
Ashlynn had an intense love for hair and animals and wanted to become a Hairstylist and a Veterinarian. Ashlynn could not have the entire work experience she wanted due to her age, but she did have the opportunity to see what it would be like with a summer program that Cafe offers to teens who live on the far east side. Cafe partnered Lynn with a nursing home, and she became a companion to a few elderly ladies; she enjoyed that experience.
I've made it my mission to pour love into my community and our children because on August 23, 2019, my hopes and dreams were snatched away for the future that I had for Nicholas and Ashlynn, and I don't want another mother to feel the pain that I live with every day. I chose to help children go further than my children had the opportunity. I believe that we did not just lose two children that day; the world lost three due to the lost young man's actions who took my children away from their family, friends, and this world. I feel God has turned my pain into purpose by igniting a passion inside of me to want to save our children. Any child can become a victim or a perpetrator of gun violence, and my goal is to limit them from becoming either.
DeAndra Dycus
SPEAKER | ADVOCATE
TRANSFORMATION COACH | AUTHOR
DeAndra Dycus is a native to Indianapolis, IN. She is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, transformation coach, author and national gun safety advocate. DeAndra currently serves as the first ever Program Manager for the Non-Fatal and Advocacy and Support Program in her hometown of Indianapolis with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
DeAndra is most known for her gun violence advocacy work, stating that if her son, DeAndre, can fight his way back to life, so can she – and she has done just that! Ms. Dycus was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 2020. She has spoken out against gun violence in America alongside Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Former Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), and many other congressional leaders. She has been invited to the White House as a guest of President Barack Obama and, most recently, of President Joe Biden to take part in the signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major federal gun safety law to pass Congress in nearly 26 years. In addition to her work with the Non-Fatal and Advocacy and Support Program, she is also a volunteer with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Purpose 4 My Pain.
This wife, mother, and entrepreneur has no plans on stopping. DeAndra's journey has continued as she's launched into coaching and workshops. She continues to be a standout businesswoman, organizing workshops including advocacy, self-care, and the power behind sharing survivors' stories. "My mission is to create a safe space and atmosphere for women who need encouragement, healing, and support because God has given me a special dose of strength to assist and serve women in painful situations. I, too, have experienced sorrow, pain, and despair but have made it through by faith and resiliency. I want to share what I have learned throughout my journey."