On Sunday, July 12, during a month where one could more easily count the days it didn’t rain than it did, sunshine fell on the Mulberry Community Church, in Wilkinsburg, in observance of what would have been Adrionna Williams’ 4th birthday.
The then three-year-old was reported missing and later found dead on June 14 and by July 7 Adrienne Williams, the child’s mother, was arrested and now faces murder charges for the death of her daughter. Sunday however was a day to celebrate a life cut short.
“In the Bible it says there is a time for everything. There is a time for mourning, there is a time for crying,” said Minister Tyree Griffie of Eternal City Church.
The event started with a celebratory clap for it being Adrionna Williams’ birthday. Two elegies were read by Leslie Ezra Smith and Angel Jackson on behalf of Marlena Johnson. Both poems emphasized that even though AdrionnaWillams only lived three years that she was loved in Christ by people who never met her, and that her life had meaning and significance.
The central theme from subsequent speakers was forgiveness. Shanequa Taylor, whose birthday was the same day, broke down into tears as she tried to describe the plight of a single mother.
“From my perspective I think we should forgive her (Adrienne) for what she has done. We don’t know what is the truth. I am a single mother and I have been through this for two years raising my son alone,” she pleaded. “It’s not fair for her to have to suffer for something she could not be heard upon. I understand because I couldn’t be heard. It’s not fair just to worry about the child. We have to love the mother too. We have to love her you guys. We don’t have to help her, but we can let her know we’re here and how can we just give up on her like that?”
She closed with a statement of empathy on behalf of all single mothers.
“I forgive you Adrienne because I know how hard it is to be a mother that struggles.”
Minister Griffie, who gave what could be described as an unofficial eulogy stressed that human lives can’t be taken for granted.
“Each and every one of us needs to take time to love our children. It says in the word life is like a vapor. When we walk out these doors God could do his business on each and every one of us. So if you know a child, you see a child, you love that child.”
Minister Griffie believed that certain signs were not heeded that need to be paid closer attention to in the future, that possibly the way people interact with each other might need to change to prevent further tragedies.
“There are certain things in our community we cannot stand for. This is a cry for help. We need to have people that can keep it real with us and say the ugly things like I’m not doing to good right now, and we need to be those people. We all know a single mother. We need to think how can I help you today. It might be take you to the store. It might be watch the kids, if you want to talk, just talk to them,” he said.
Annie Bastogne owner of Fannie Mae’s Gifts was an organizer for the service. Like many, she was surprised by the turn of events over the course of the last month.
“I reached out to Adrienne and her friend expressing my wanting to do something. It was the day after they found Adrionna’s body just expressing that I wanted to do something. To craft something for the memorial service.”
Bastogne, who makes grave markers and keeps sakes said, “It’s extremely emotional, you never want to bury your young. We just need to recognize that it does take a village and be there.”
The “It takes a village” was echied numerous times by the attendees who commented on Adrienne Williams’ fate.
Dennis Jordan, a church member and concerned citizen remarked, “We need to do stuff like this even before a baby dies. I’m a single father, my son is five, so with young kids you have to have patience.
“I think it’s great how everyone came together just to give the girl some love. Just to show you ain’t living without love, we love you; we might not know you but we love you because we got kids too and we think what if that was our child.”
No members of the family were in attendance, choosing to have a private remembrance at home.
Kirsten Coulon, best friend to Adrienne Williams and god mother to Adrionna Williams appeared with a message to everyone who would listen, stating that her best friend loved her daughter and could be innocent.
“Adrionna was the basis for Adrienne’s life. Because she wouldn’t have finished school if she didn’t have her daughter, she wouldn’t have done a lot of things.”
When asked if she ever saw a violent side of her she said no. “Adriene woke up to her daughter, they would take pictures and make videos. Her daughter was her life and everything she lived for so for this to happen I don’t understand it. Maybe we won’t ever understand and she is innocent until proven guilty so I’m just going with that right now.”
She concluded “I was brought up in the church to always forgive, you can’t always hold a grudge against someone. I know I have sinned so many times. That was my best friend and my god-daughter so I’m here for her 100 percent.”
While many felt that Adrienne was crying out for help and dealing with the stress of being a single mother, close family member’s posts on social media claim the opposite.
“How were you struggling when you really didn’t take care of her? We had her. You only had her at night,” Adrienne Williams’ sister wrote.
“Man, she was not struggling. ‘Onna was with us seven days a week. (The) only time she left was when her mom came and got her at night,” Adrionna’s uncle wrote.
While all of the events Adrienne Williams is accused of are still alleged, Andre Scott, parishioner of Mulberry Community Church said, “It’s great that we could bring the community and children together so that we could show them how to celebrate life,”
When asked if healing took place, Scott responded, “I feel like people are no longer strangers. So if we know each other, we can better protect each other and having that spiritual component, we definitely had some healing going on today.”
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