Hadiya Pendleton’s funeral
After making headlines for her tragic passing, 15-year-old Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton was laid to rest. The funeral for Hadiya was held at Calahan Funeral Home on Feb. 8, 2013, in Chicago. Several dignitaries were in attendance, including Reverend Jesse Jackson and first lady Michelle Obama, who joined the side of Hadiya’s parents Cleopatra and Nathaniel Pendleton during the service.
Other mourners included Hadiya’s younger brother and majorettes from the King College Prep band, who wore their uniforms in her honor. “You don’t know how hard this really is. And those of you who do know how hard this is … I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” said Cleopatra Pendleton during the service. “No mother, no father should ever have to experience this.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 12 President Obama remembered Hadiya during his State of the Union speech as her parents sat beside the first lady.
“One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton,” said Obama speaking about victims of gun violence. “She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend,” he added. “Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house. Hadiya’s parents are in the chamber tonight. They deserve a vote.”
Over the weekend police arrested two men in connection with Hadiya’s murder; Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20. Ward confessed that he fired at the teen and her friends after mistaking them for rival gang members. Police arrested both men Saturday, the same day as Hadiya’s funeral. The men are charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Check out photos from Hadiya’s service below. –danielle canada
Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images
