Mother holds memorial for 12-year-old killed 7 years ago

Just seven years after her youngest daughter, Jolesa Barber, then 12, was shot to death and almost four years after her youngest son, Chris Michaux, then 19, was gunned down, and after being shot twice herself, Kimberly Wade’s pain runs deep. But on Jan. 28, Wade’s pain, with the support of family and friends, was eased just a little with the annual memorial held in her daughter’s honor at Mosaic Community Church on North Charles Street in the North Side. The memorial celebrated the life of a child taken way too soon. It was the seventh anniversary of Barber’s death.
“It hurts. It’s kind of crazy that it’s been seven years. She’s been gone seven years and my son will be gone four years on the 5th of August. I’ve been through a lot with this; I know I’ve let it take me places and then I had to get a grip on life,” said Wade about how she’s coped with all she’s been through. “For the longest it was beating me down, I was going through all kinds of things. At the end of the day, I’m blessed; I have five kids, nine grandkids left that love me. It’s been rough, but I keep my head up and keep it moving. Giving up ain’t an option for me.”
On Jan. 29, 2008, Barber was shot when her home on Brightridge Street, in the North Side, was hit with approximately 40 bullets; Wade was also shot in the leg. Then more than three years later, hours after Wade was shot again, Michaux was shot to death while outside a home on Leland Street in the North Side. Michael Gist, who plead guilty to Barber’s murder was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison, his co-defendant, Anthony Wilson, was acquitted.
Michaux’ murder is still unsolved, no one has been charged. Wade will face one of her shooters in court on March 24; there she hopes to get the justice that she feels her family has yet to receive.
“In a way, I don’t feel there (has been justice). I have peace, but I don’t feel there’s justice because only one person went down. The one guy on the stand admitted that he shot at the house and by you shooting at that house, you shot me and my daughter,” Wade said. “The second case, with my son being killed, there’s nothing else said about that. There’s nothing else said about my son. I lost two kids and it hurts.”
She added, “You don’t get peace when it keeps going on. So hopefully there’ll be some closure on the 24th of March.”
What is especially hard about the case involving her shooter is that she knew him; she said he would visit her house. “I didn’t do anything to anybody, but you wanna come, you wanna hurt me. Your intentions (were) to kill me, and I didn’t understand that, knowing this kid was at my house before, giving me hugs and talking to me; now you’re shooting me.”
While the Black on Black violence continues to increase, Wade tells other mothers who have experienced a loss like hers to not give up. “Just don’t give up, don’t give them the satisfaction that they took you and your child.”
With all that she’s been through, Wade said it’s the support of friends and family, along with the professional help that she seeks that has gotten her through the tough times. The support, she said, “let’s me know somebody does care.” Along with continuing to move forward, she said she plans to find a way to raise $3,000 so she can put a headstone on her son’s grave, which is next to her daughters.
(J.L. Martello contributed to this story.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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