FAITH FOROUR SONS

A TRIBUTE TO THE SONS WE'VE LOST +

A SINGLE MOM'S JOURNEY OF LOSS & FAITH

One can only imagine the heartbreak that the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Jordan Davis, Antwan Rose, Michael Brown, Jordan Edwards, and Christian Taylor felt when they received news that their son's life had been taken from them. Oftentimes when we hear their names it invokes a level of fear and worry as the thoughts become “What about my son?” We at Purposed. Magazine want to use this space to acknowledge and pay tribute to the lives of these sons and provide encouragement to moms everywhere to continue to have Faith For Our Sons.

For Nicola Smith, that reality became true for her when she lost her 19-year-old son, Alexander ‘AJ’ Marion, at the hands of the police. She recalls the moments that led up to her son ’ s passing and the moment the officers stopped by her home to recount the details of their encounter with her son

On September 19, 2013, Alexander, or AJ as he was known by his family, left his mother’s home to never return The events that led to his death started to unfold the day before which is the last time she recalls talking to her son. On September 18, 2013, at 11:28 pm, AJ called his mother, and his last words to her were “Mama, you know, I understand what you meant now ” Nicola had the thought that something she had taught her son throughout his life had finally sunk in for him. However, when she went to sleep that night, she didn’t imagine that would be the last time she spoke to her son.