LETTER: Open Letter from a Grieving Mother to the Nation

It has been 586 days since my daughter Achazia James was taken from me.

Five hundred and eighty-six days of living with a pain that words cannot fully express. A pain I carry quietly, even as I put on a brave face each day.

Today, my heart is heavy once again.

The recent loss of more of our young people has reopened wounds that have never truly healed. These are not just headlines to me. These are children I knew, lives I saw growing, futures that once held promise. To witness such loss, one after the other, is deeply painful.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families, especially the mothers who are now facing a reality no parent should ever have to endure. I stand with you in grief because I understand your pain.

We are witnessing an alarming pattern in our society.

Too many of our young people are being taken from us, and too many families are being left to suffer in pain, confusion, and heartbreak.

I also acknowledge and remember

Yenifer Bridge, Achazia James, Brianna Clark, Omari Lewis, Chantel Crump, Vonde Bowers, and the many others whose lives were precious and whose memories deserve to be honoured.

These were not statistics. These were sons and daughters, students, friends. Young people with dreams, with purpose, and with families who loved them deeply.

This is no longer an isolated issue.

This is a national crisis affecting our youth.

I therefore make a respectful but urgent call to the relevant authorities, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, the Attorney General, and all those entrusted with upholding justice.

We need answers. We need accountability. We need justice.

When cases remain unsolved, it creates a deep sense of fear, frustration, and abandonment among families and communities. It must never be accepted that our children’s lives can be taken without consequence.

To the families who are grieving, please know that you are not alone.

To our young people, we must continue to guide, protect, and cover them with prayer and support.

And to our nation, we must not grow numb to this reality.

Despite the pain, I continue to hold on to my faith.

I believe that justice will come.

This is not only my voice as a mother.

This is a call on behalf of many.

Asabi Charles

A mother still grieving, still standing