Mourners remember slain 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant

Columbus, May 3 (RHC)-- In Columbus, Ohio, mourners gathered over the weekend at the funeral of Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16-year-old Black girl who was killed last month by police officers outside her foster home. 

Don Bryant, Ma’Khia’s cousin, who spoke on behalf of her family, told those attending the funeral: “I look at each and every person in this room today, in this church, and say Ma’Khia Bryant did not have to die, that she should still be here.  But, in closing, say her name as a reminder of the loving, kind person she was.  Say her name as a reminder that change doesn’t just happen by offering words or talking about it. Change happens through action and through doing.”

Meanwhile, the body of Andrew Brown Jr. is being laid to rest on Monday in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Brown was a 42-year-old Black father who was shot five times by police officers, including a fatal shot to the back of the head.  His family continues to demand the release of all body-camera footage showing his killing.