BayouIcon | Darian Atkins

article by Georgiann Potts
photography by Kelly Moore Clark

Darian Williams Atkins has lived a very full life, and she’s not finished yet! She grew up in Gary, Indiana, under the watchful eyes of loving family members who were determined that she would have that full life. It was love that brought her to Louisiana where she has lived all of her adult life. Here in our community many organizations – for profit and non-profit — have benefited from her leadership and uplifting presence. Whether working in a paid position as she built an impressive career, or volunteering in an unpaid position as she built an equally-impressive community presence, Darian has made a significant difference in the lives of many. For her outstanding work in the communications field and her dedication to our community, Darian Williams Atkins is our April 2025 BayouIcon.

Darian Atkins readily admits that she “grew up” in Louisiana even though she was already 20 when she moved here from Gary, Indiana, her hometown. Other than a brief stint in San Diego, California, from the 10th grade t0 midway through the 12th, Darian has lived nowhere else. Everywhere that she has lived has helped mold Darian into the remarkable woman she is today. And at every place, Darian has encountered strong individuals who have helped her navigate life.

Through that life, Darian has seen unrealized promise and potential in many women and has been saddened. “Much like the average person, I faced challenges growing up and later as an adult,” Darian explains. “Some things were by my own making, and some not. But God put people in my life who invested in me and helped me to understand my own potential.”

Gary, Indiana, and the Jackson 5 
Darian was born in Gary, Indiana, but she came along a little late. She lived much of her young life there with her great-grandmother Catherine Williams and her great-aunt Alice Haywood. Their home was on the 2500 block of Jackson Street. Just two blocks away at the 2700 block of Jackson Street was the home of the Jackson 5 family. By the time Darian was living there, the Jacksons had moved. However, they were living there when her mother Tonya Williams McGhee was living on that street. 

In spite of that near brush with fame, Darian’s childhood was anything but uneventful. Her great-grandmother and great-aunt made certain that Darian was always occupied doing something worthwhile. 

When the school year was over and other kids were mostly playing and loafing, Darian was attending summer school for the first part of the summer. Her grades were fine, but her great-grandmother and great-aunt made certain that Darian didn’t forget anything she had learned. They understood “enrichment” before the greater education community did! Neither of them had gone past the 8th grade, so they were determined that Darian complete school. “From the time I sat in that little red highchair in a kitchen that was likely no bigger than 8X8, they encouraged me to ‘get my education’,” Darian says with love. 

The next part of summer found Darian in Bible School. “Great-Aunt Alice was one of the adults who helped with Bible School, so I was there well before it started and well after it ended each day,” Darian remembers. “I was a junior usher and a member of the youth choir.” Throughout the year, when Darian mentioned that she was bored, their stock response was, “Read a book.”  Today Darian credits her love for reading having its beginning there.

Growing Up in the North
The family had one television and one radio. They would enjoy those together. Although Darian was not as enamored with the country, jazz, classical, or gospel music that her family enjoyed listening to, she learned to fade the music out and turn the radio to a station more to her liking.

Much entertainment came during summer nights when the family would sit out on the porch, talking to their neighbors who were also sitting out on their porches. “I was always hopeful to hear a bit of gossip, but they were really good at refraining from such talk in the presence of children,” Darian explains. “I learned to eavesdrop really early in life!”

Darian’s extended family on both sides was large with many living in the same neighborhood. She attended school with lots of cousins. From the time Darian was 4-years old until she was in the 9th grade, Darian’s father James Smith Jr. was in prison. One year after his release, he was killed. “For the longest time I focused on all that I didn’t have, but one day I grew tired of crying over it all and decided from now on I would focus on all the good I had and the people God had planted in my life,” Darian says. “I could’ve and should’ve, by all accounts, been a statistic, but there were other plans for me.”

Some in her father’s family stepped up to fill the gap as well as they could. Her Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Herbert Hicks were the model for a “whole” family that Darian looked to. Uncle Herbert walked Darian down the aisle when she married, and Aunt Marilyn pointed out that Darian’s husband was a fellow very much like her Herbert.

Darian, the oldest, has three siblings – two sisters and a brother. One sister (Lonisha) lives in Indiana and the other sister (Mae) lives in Monroe. Her brother lives in Indiana. In 2020, Darian discovered that she also had a half-brother, Justin, who was born when Darian was 16.  She had no idea that he existed. As with so many, an Ancestry DNA text confirmed their kinship. He also lives in Indiana.

What Shall I Be?
Darian’s earliest career aspiration was to become a ballerina. She took ballet and jazz classes and loved them. At one point she auditioned for the Nutcracker Ballet Suite in Chicago at the Arie Crown Theater. She was a scholarship student at the Ruth Page Ballet School and got a part in the Nutcracker party scene. “It was my first and only paid role,” Darien says with pride. “I thought I was big stuff! I was 12-years old.” Traveling back and forth to Chicago for classes proved too much for Darian’s mother so that was the last year she danced.

Darian admits to not knowing what she might do after high school graduation. On her mother’s side there were mostly single women with children. On her dad’s side, there were some family members in education and others with careers in cosmetology. One paternal aunt, Odessa Roby, owned the only beauty college in Gary for years. “She was the first African American to serve on the State Board of Cosmetology and was a true business woman,” Darian says. “I spent quite a bit of time around her—in the shop and in her home.” Darian’s Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Herbert owned a Bressler’s 33 Flavors ice cream shop where Darian often worked. 

A Wife and Mother
What Darian did know was that she wanted to marry early and have a career. She certainly wanted children, but not too soon. She met Lawrence through her godmother Maxine Atkins who happened to be his cousin-in-law. Lawrence was living in Bastrop where his parents were from. He had moved there from the south side of Chicago where he had been reared. Darian’s godmother encouraged her to reach out to Lawrence by writing him a letter because the two “were both young and Christians” and could “encourage one another.” Darian wrote a letter but didn’t hear back. About a month later, her godmother suggested that Darian write Lawrence a second letter. Darian quickly declined because she felt that might make her look “desperate.” 

At the time, Darian was working full-time, heavily involved with her church, and she didn’t need anything extra to fill her time. Plus, she wasn’t looking for a romantic adventure. Her godmother countered by saying that the young man’s father had just passed away and that “he probably needs a friend and some encouragement.” “She played the death card,” Darian says. “That basically twisted my arm.” She wrote a second letter.

After several weeks, in February 1988, Lawrence called her. They shared subsequent phone calls, sometimes falling asleep on the phone because of the late hour. After two in-person visits, the two became engaged and married in February, 1989. “Boy! If this were my kid’s life, I would’ve cited all of the reasons why this notion was crazy! But here we are 36 years later . . .” says Darian with a chuckle. Darian describes Lawrence as the “Welcome ray of sunshine in my life when we met. I needed the stability, loyalty, and commitment he provided. He significantly played a part in helping me to free myself to be me.” 

Darian had indeed married early, and later began taking classes at ULM when she and Lawrence married. All was going to plan until four months after their marriage when Darian and Lawrence discovered they were going to become parents. Although the pregnancy wasn’t planned, Darian found an upside to the situation. “I was breaking a generational pattern,” Darian says. “I started a family with my husband.” There was a downside, however. “I was not ready,” she admits.

Ready or not, daughter Alicia was born to delighted and proud (if apprehensive) parents. However, when Alicia was 4-months old, Darian became pregnant with son Ashton. When Ashton was 3-months old, a third baby – daughter Amber — was on the way. All three children brought joy to their young parents. 

When Alicia was born, her parents noticed some delays in her development. When she was 2, she had a seizure. Later it was confirmed that Alicia had epilepsy and other developmental issues. Alicia today loves animals and babies, her mother says, and has a strong sense of humor. “She loves her brother and sister dearly, and fiercely protects them. Although she can be angry with them, she doesn’t want anyone else to be,” Darian says.

Ashton had to be pushed some growing up, but has become focused and is thriving. Today he is married to Jasmine Griffin and they have two sons. He will soon have an MBA and is certified as a project manager. His sister Amber always wanted to be #1 and never needed any pushing. She and Ashton competed throughout their childhood. Today she is also married to Derek Deutsch and they have two daughters. She earned her Master’s in clinical counseling and practices in West Monroe.

And Then A Career 
When Darian enrolled at ULM, her plan was to major in something relatively easy that she liked and then get a degree. “Then I’d talk my way into the job I wanted,” Darian remembers. She initially majored in Interior Design and was a year from graduating when she enrolled in her first speech class. She was smitten. “I didn’t know there was a whole major dedicated to ‘talking’. An entirely new world opened up to me!” Darian remembers. The following semester she changed her major.

Several teachers encouraged Darian as she pursued a degree in Speech Communications. Sharon Roach, a teacher at ULM, successfully recruited Darian. Other speech instructors who encouraged Darian were Dr. Loeb, Dr. Thameling, and Dr Herbert. An English teacher, Linda Hart-Berkemeyer, taught an African American literature class that Darian enjoyed. “She was Caucasian and teaching an African American literature course,” Darian says. “She was not who I was expecting when I walked through the door. She won my heart and those of countless others as the semester went on. She was more than equipped to teach that subject.”

Later in a speech class, Darian was assigned to go on an interview in a field that she had interest. Darian chose Public Relations and through that, met Cindy Ingram and interned with her. “That was the beginning of my walk towards a public relations career,” Darian says. “Cindy was excellent to shadow, extremely personable, and knowledgeable. She had the perfect temperament for mentoring.”

Darian’s first job after earning her degree was a communications position with Girl Scouts Silver Waters Council. She worked there for five years until 2008 when the national organization merged councils and Louisiana went from five to three. Darian then became the new Director of Public Relations which she held for two more years. 

Feeling the need for a new challenge, Darian applied for Director of Public Relations at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe and got it. 

During her time as Director of Public Relations, she assumed a community liaison role. In 2017, her official title was upgraded to Executive Director of Community and Public Relations. Among the many accomplishments during her tenure there – including obtaining her Master’s degree – perhaps the most significant was helping LDCC undergo a rebranding that communicated its unique place in our communities.

Finding A Way to Help
Even as she was rearing her children, supporting her husband’s pursuits, and growing her own career, Darian still found time to offer to help in ways that would make her community better. She believes that both the need to help and the feeling of responsibility to do so were modeled for her when she was a child. She lived in a neighborhood where everyone knew each other. Children minded neighbors just as they did adults in their own families. “People looked after one another and cared for each other,” Darian says. “I remember my great-grandmother visiting and taking care of people who were ill in the family and in the neighborhood. She and my great-aunt cooked for and sat with people. I didn’t realize that I was learning what community and volunteerism means.”

The list of organizations that Darian has aligned herself with as a community volunteer is very impressive. She has served on numerous boards including Ascent, Masur Museum, Children’s Coalition, Ouachita Business Alliance, and the Wellspring where she served as Chair. Additionally, she served as president of the Junior League of Monroe. This community has been the lucky recipient of her volunteer efforts combined with her seemingly insatiable energy.

The Next Adventure 
As Darian retires from her position at LDCC, she and Lawrence are preparing for their next adventure – a move to Texas. Darian’s mother moved down to live with them last fall and will be enjoying this new adventure, too. There are others in the family living in the area where they are moving, so Darian is especially looking forward to spending time with them.

Former tennis player and motivational speaker Roger Crawford once said, “Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” He might very well have been describing Darian’s personal motto. She is living her life well, accepting challenges when they come, but refusing to settle for defeat. That special spirit has enriched her life — and the lives of countless others.