An Unwilling Bride at 14, This Dallas Woman Helped Outlaw Child Marriages in Texas

Trevicia Williams was in the ninth grade the day her mother picked her up from school and drove her to the courthouse. "You're getting married today," she said. Trevicia was 14. The bridegroom was a 26-year-old ex-convict she barely knew. He had no job and no home, but he did have an extremely short fuse. Within a few weeks of their unromantic wedding, he punched her in the face during an argument. "I called my mother and asked her if I could come home," Williams said. "She said no." You could hardly call Williams "lucky," but she's remarkable in many respects. After three miserable years, she freed herself from the marriage she never wanted, took her baby daughter and never looked back. That was more than 30 years ago. Williams now lives in Dallas; she has a doctorate in psychology. She's a published author, a frequent guest on radio and talk shows. She conducts workshops across the state to help teenage girls and their mothers bridge their inevitable differences.   Continue reading...