In Honor of Black History Month: A Mother and Son Build a Legacy at Pomonok Houses

When Tamika Williams-Moore first began volunteering with the resident association at Pomonok Houses nearly a decade ago, she was answering a call she had long felt within: to offer her particular gifts and skills in service to the community she calls home. What Ms. Williams-Moore did not realize then was that her example would not only come to benefit her Pomonok neighbors — it also inspired her own son to lead and serve as well.

Today, she serves as President of the Pomonok Houses Resident Association. Working beside her is her son, Tameek Williams, Pomonok’s Vice President. Together, they are an extraordinary team and an example: a partnership bound both by familial love and by a shared commitment to service and leadership for their community.

Theirs is a story that is deeply rooted in place as well. The Williams family has lived at Pomonok Houses since 1993, from the time Mr. Williams was a baby.

“This is my home,” he said, simply.

Ms. Williams-Moore began volunteering around 2016, eventually rising to Vice President before being elected President — a role in which she is now serving her third term. Along the way, she has led initiatives addressing youth engagement, mental health, food access, and resident employment.

“No one should have to choose between paying their rent and feeding their family,” she said.

Tamika Williams-Moore began volunteering around 2016, eventually rising to Vice President before being elected President — a role in which she is now serving her third term.

Through partnerships with community organizations and City agencies, she has brought food distribution programs directly to residents while advocating for employment opportunities. Drawing on her construction industry experience, she has helped facilitate resident hiring for development projects and played a key role in securing millions in funding for capital improvements — including for playgrounds, recreational areas, and development of the Pomonok Community Center.

“I’m a builder,” she said. “My favorite thing is to secure funding that frees us to renovate and build out these spaces for our community.”

For Mr. Williams, service takes a complementary form. As a photographer, he enjoys documenting the lives and successes of residents across NYCHA developments, capturing images that reflect positive transformation and the good work of residents.

“When people in the community care and get involved, positive change is always a natural result,” he said.

His volunteer involvement in Pomonok’s resident association grew from that same inward call — the desire to serve and create opportunity for his neighbors, especially younger residents. One of his signature contributions has been the expanded programming at the Pomonok Community Center, including the launch of a technology education program that builds digital skills — from managing email to spreadsheets, web design, and other tools. He also led residents in repainting and preparing the classroom space before classes began.

Tameek Williams led Pomonok’s efforts to rebuild and renovate classroom spaces so that expanded community center programming could be offered — which he also helped design!

“It wasn’t only about teaching digital skills,” he said. “We built something together in the real world too!”

This mother-and-son partnership is clearly built on each one’s respect for the other’s strengths. And yet their collaborations begin simply — in conversations at the kitchen table.

“We brainstorm all the time,” Mr. Williams said. “We talk out our ideas together and figure out how to bring them to the community.”

As NYCHA communities honor Black History Month, the Williams’ story reflects a tradition long rooted in African-American communities: leadership grounded in family, resilience shaped by experience, and the knowledge that the most enduring progress begins in love and at home.

At Pomonok Houses, that tradition is visible in the programs they have created, the spaces they have built, and the example they continue to set. Together, they are not just leading a resident association — they are building the future of their community every day.