My Son Khaaliq Was Killed Over a Parking Space. Now I Help Other Mothers Grieve.
Date:  12-25-2022

After a neighbor fatally shot her son in 2001, Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight started the anti-violence group Mothers in Charge. "I thought maybe two people would show up; the room was jam packed."
From The Marshall Project:

I had four boys — all surprises. Alex, my youngest, always had a smile on his face and was lighthearted. He loved our family, including his cousins and nephews. A couple of days before he was murdered, he came over and said he wanted to make some T-shirts with the words “It’s Time To Communicate,” on the front. He wanted to be a mentor to some of the younger guys in the neighborhood.

Later that week, a friend and I went to JoAnn Fabrics. I was looking at a little sewing machine and called Alex, who was near a corner store where people were working the voting polls in our neighborhood. I told him I was going to get some supplies, so he could make his shirts. He told me, “I love you,” and I said, “I love you too, Alex.”

About an hour later, my friend and I drove to a restaurant to pick up lunch. My phone had died, and I was waiting in the car for it to charge. When it finally turned on, I had all of these missed messages. Then my older sister called me crying and said I needed to come home. I kept asking, “What’s wrong? Just tell me what’s wrong!” Continue reading >>>