Orangeburg County Councilwoman Latisha Walker selected as the OCCOC honoree for honor

Mentoring and providing food, hygiene products, clothing and other necessities within local schools are among the ways Latisha Walker actively seeks ways to improve the lives of her constituents and overall community.

She does it not with an attitude of self-aggrandizement, but one of adherence to doing what is right and respectful. It is that attitude that led the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative to recognize her for displaying honor.

Walker said she was shocked by the recognition because she does not serve her community to be seen or heard.

“I don’t do things for recognition. Whenever I’m recognized for anything, it’s just always a shock,” she said.

The councilwoman formed the Tiffany Grant Foundation following the death of her younger sister, who was a nurse. The nonprofit works to keep Grant’s spirit alive with a scholarship designed to help students pursue careers in the medical field, but also with a variety of charitable endeavors, including the donation of refrigerators to elementary schools across the Orangeburg County School District as part of the Shared Tables Initiative.

“I do that work through my nonprofit. I just believe that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. A lot of people don’t have, or are maybe unable to obtain what we can offer. So if we can help them, we need to help them,” Walker said.

“We never know when we may be in a situation to need help. None of us can sit so high that we look down and frown upon people,” she said, noting that the character trait of honor has a special meaning for her.

“When you do things with honor, that means giving it your all, being the best at what you do. It’s taking pride in what you do,” Walker said.

She said the character trait has played a big part in both her professional and personal life.

“It’s about doing things to the best of your ability. In my law enforcement career, I was always the one who always wanted to learn everything I could possibly learn. I wanted to be multi-faceted in my profession. It was very beneficial for me because I rose in the ranks. I reached some levels in my career that some people never reach, and I worked for it. No one gave me anything,” Walker said.

“That’s what makes me most proud of my professional career because I worked for what I got. I was the first Black woman investigator here in Orangeburg County. Then I went to SLED, where I was the first Black woman promoted to lieutenant. I worked for my stuff. These people didn’t know me. They didn’t say, ‘Oh well, come on, let’s pull her in here.’ God favored me, and he allowed me to utilize my talents so that people would be able to see my light shining,” she said.

Walker said her husband, a lieutenant with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, and children help her with her philanthropic efforts through the Tiffany Grant Foundation.

“We work as a unit. My board members help out. We’ll come up with projects that we want to do. We have people who will come and say, ‘Well, hey, why don’t y’all do this?’ They’ll offer suggestions, or give us ideas for our next project, and we just fulfill it as an organization. Right now, we purchased 22 refrigerators that we’re delivering to all the elementary schools in Orangeburg. So it’s very fulfilling,” she said.

Walker, who retired from SLED in 2020, served as the commencement speaker for Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College’s spring graduation ceremony, where she outlined the value of hard work and prayer.

She said having character is “everything” in life.

“You can have money, you can be popular, you can have a bunch of friends and followers, but ultimately it reverts back to your character. If you’re not kind, then people are not going to respect you. People don’t want to be around you. So ultimately when we look at everything, it reverts back to your character, your reputation and how people view you,” Walker said.

She continued, “You have to be able to relate to everybody. You can’t be a box to where if you’re rich, you can only communicate with rich people, or if you’re poor, you can only communicate with poor people. If you’re black, you can only communicate with Black people. You have to be well rounded and be open to learn, as well.

“Being here in Orangeburg, it’s very diverse. So in serving on council, I have to be open to serve everybody. I can’t be just targeted to provide services to a select group. I may not understand the culture, but I’m willing to learn the culture. And then we can work and meet a common ground.”

She said honor and serving others honorably is about knowing who is ultimately in control of her life.

“I may not be rich in money, but God has showed me who I am over the years, and I know whose I am. I know nothing at all would have been possible without him. I know that. So I don’t take credit for nothing. There’s nothing special about Tisha. I know it’s through the God’s grace and mercy that I’m able to do a lot of things that I do,” Walker said.

Her vision for Orangeburg County is simple.

“It’s creating a place where all people can thrive, being able to retain our talent and bringing employment and jobs,” she said.