As the weather breaks in Chicago, the new mayor Lori Lightfoot has laid out a plan to address the violence plaguing the city. She vows to address the violence as a public health issue. This is necessary and admirable but unfortunately for many mothers it is too late.
Mothers continue to mourn their children years after their children have succumb to the violence. Every situation is different but death remains the common factor.
Barbara Alfred Richardson mourns her son Donovan Bernard Richardson daily. Bernard was gunned down in a murder involving 4 others on April 23, 2008.
These mothers deserve a space to be heard and to share. Rolling out has provided this space and Richardson wrote a letter to her deceased son:
My Dear Son,
With the passing of each year, we find peace in sharing memories of you. I want you to know we never gave up on the police finding those criminals who took you from us. Two of them are serving life and one who turned and helped received 25 years. With justice served, we have been able to move forward remembering the great times we shared as a family.
Your baby girl is 14 now and in high school; it’s sad she was only three years old when you were murdered, so she has little memory of you. I often pull out the photos to share memories of you with her. To give her a sense of who you were. A vision of your good heart and kindness, your sense of humor ,outgoing personality and your artistic and musical talent. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and wish you were here. The unconditional love that is never ending even now!
You dreamed big and lived large and had so much to look forward to. You were my joy. I wanted so much to see you grow into the good man I always knew you would [become], but we were robbed of that opportunity. I find peace in knowing you are safe in the arms of loved ones who went before you. Continue to rest, my son. I am with you in spirit always. You will forever be a part of our lives as my son, a brother and a dad!
Love always,
Mom
