NEW ORLEANS — For many, Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate.
For others, like members of the local organization A Mother’s Cry, it is a painful reminder.
The group brings together parents who have lost their children to gun violence. Saturday, they cried, hugged, prayed, and danced through a special Mother’s Day dinner at an event hall in Algiers.
At the center was Cheryl Jackson. In 2015, she woke up to a call that her son, Walter, had been shot 15 times.
“I would have taken all 15 bullets for him, all 15,” she said.
Months later, Jackson started A Mother’s Cry. In the beginning, she was the sole member. Then, over the years, more parents joined the group.
They bonded over their bottomless grief and desire for justice for their children. Jackson explained that they are “all walking in the same shoes, but we all have different stories.”
Stories like that of Myrna Patterson, whose 17-year-old son was killed in 2016. She said events like Saturday’s “bring joy” to her.
“This helps to keep our children's memory alive. They are gone, but they’re never forgotten,” Patterson said.
“We have a scripture saying iron sharpens iron,” said Shevelle Fontenette, a minister who led the group in prayer Saturday night. Her son, Hassan, was murdered less than two years ago. “We sharpen each other up and give each other strength and comfort.”
That comfort is sorely needed in New Orleans, where more families are shattered by gun violence every year. According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, there have been more than 90 homicides in the city since the start of 2023. That number is slightly lower than this time last year, but twice as high as in 2019.
And like many in New Orleans, the murder of Jackson’s son has not been solved. It is something she shares with another mother in the group, Lisa Jackson. Her son was killed 7 years ago. To this day, he has gotten “no justice, none whatsoever."
A large part of A Mother’s Cry’s mission is supporting parents as they push for action on their children’s cases.
“Who’s gonna fight for him? Not the detectives, not the DA, not the mayor, who?” Jackson said. “We have to fight for our own children.”
A Mother’s Cry holds other events throughout the year as well. You can find the latest updates on the group’s Facebook page.
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