Survivor Voices Articles

By April BarbosaThe following is the opinion and personal experience of the writer. This was written as a speech for National Day of Remembrance on...

By Maggie Phillips The following is the opinion and personal experience of the writer. We planted Jackie's Irish strawberry tree on his first...

For me, it’s been nearly 29 years since my mother’s murder. I was a 20-year-old college student, and I wish I would have known all my feelings were valid and that no one’s grief is the same…

I never imagined my life would change in such a drastic way for the rest of my life. On January 10, 2021, my father was murdered. My father was my everything…

Well, it’s been a journey from August 5, 2017 to now. My world was turned upside down on that date, finding out my best friend/dad was murdered. That day it felt like everything was taken from me.

It’ll be four years in August without my dad, and it’s never easy. However, being around those who have felt a similar pain, you feel more like yourself; you don’t feel like you are making others uncomfortable talking about your loved one.

As I look in the mirror I see our Twin face.
It happens everyday in the very same place.
I still have to drive pass the place you were killed.
Each time I have to, I turn my head away and get dowsed with chills.

Holiday rituals may be the most challenging to manage after the death of our loved ones. Our families and friends often have expectations for how certain traditions should continue…

When I think about my son Danny Lee Jackson, I think about how he loved life and how happy he was for each day. Unfortunately, his love for life ended; on July 8, 2020, was brutally murdered…