ABILENE, TX – To close Black History Month, Shawnte Fleming and her group, Let Us Breathe Abilene, wanted to have a candlelight ceremony to honor all the black lives lost in the community during 2020.
Mayor Anthony Williams, who recognized black leaders in the community, was a special guest speaker.
“Those of you who knew Claudie Royals, a hell-raising civil rights activist, but he got stuff done and he cared about this community,” said Williams.
Police Chief Marcus Dudley, Jr. shared a powerful story of the recent death of his father.
“A man who contributed to my being, but did not know me, a man who contributed to inspiring me, but inspiring me to do better and be a better father than he,” said Dudley.
Community member Deborah Williams says she came to honor her late grandson.
“You need people, regardless of what you are going through, regardless of the grief, we need people to help us and to embrace us,” said Williams.
Williams says events like these help others process their grief.
Let Us Breathe Abilene put together a slide show of all the community members who died in 2020, to view, click the link.
