Events

A Vigil of Peace for Amadou Diallo

“A Sense of Peace”: Kadiatou Diallo (left) revealed that 25 years after the tragic death of her first-born, Amadou Diallo, she has found peace through the prayers, activism memories and support of an extended family of New Yorkers that includes The Rev. Herbert Daughtry, and other mothers who have been “through it” like Mrs. Gwen Carr. Also, it can be said that nearly everyone in these photographs knows personal tragedies or someone else who has been touched by violence. A huge gathering joined Kadiatou Diallo (center) at a vigil on Wheeler Avenue in The Bronx, now Amadou Diallo Place. Diallo, unarmed, was struck by police officers’ bullets. Along the front row of the teeming crowd, standing with Mrs. Diallo (center), were from left: Valerie Bell, mother of Sean Bell; Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Mrs. Baez, mother of Anthony Baez; Constance Malcolm, mother of Ramarley Graham; Margarita Rosario, mother of Anthony Rosario; and Doussou Traore, a longtime family friend of Mrs. Diallo. Also present at the event was Imam Talib Abdur Rashid, who opened the vigil with an Islamic prayer; former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz; Harlem City Councilman Yusef Salaam; Mayor David Dinkins, actress Susan Sarandon, Charles Rangel; and thousands more. The Rev. Al Sharpton and The National Action Network donated $10,000.00 to the Amadou Diallo Foundation for student scholarships. He also spoke of Rudy Giuliani, then and now. The Rev. Herbert Daughtry spoke of the early days of The Movement and his ongoing quest to pass the knowledge and tools of resistance on to the next generations. (Photos are courtesy of Graham Weatherspoon)

On Sunday, February 4, 1999, a hard-working young man with aspirations for a college degree, who spoke multiple languages and had several degrees, died in a hail of bullets on a street in The Bronx.
He was arriving home from work. He was unarmed. He was not a criminal. He aspired to attain other degrees. It was police-involved.
Vigils on the anniversary of the murder of Amadou Diallo have occurred each year ever since his death. And so, it was for this 25th-year anniversary weekend.
Two important events were held near the site where his life was taken to remind the world of the American tragedy and what was stolen from it.

On Friday, February 3, The Bronx Community College’s Amadou Diallo Youth Arts and Sci-Tech Day paid homage to its namesake with middle school, high school, and college students participating in art, science, and technology activities.
On February 4, the anniversary of the shooting , a vigil was held on Wheeler Avenue with a silent walk from the Amadou Diallo Mural on Amadou Diallo Place (1177 Wheeler Avenue) to 1157 Wheeler Avenue, the site of the the1999 tragedy.
On that night, elected leaders, residents, neighbors, New Yorkers from all over the city, along with such organizations as the JusticeCommittee.Org, the Malcolm X. Grassroots Movement, and the CUNY School of Law, walked with Mrs. Diallo along Amadou Diallo Place to the site of her son’s death, and where the shells of 41 bullets were once scattered.

“A Sense of Peace”: Kadiatou Diallo (left) revealed that 25 years after the tragic death of her first-born, Amadou Diallo, she has found peace through the prayers, activism memories and support of an extended family of New Yorkers that includes The Rev. Herbert Daughtry, and other mothers who have been through the tragedy.

She walked arm in arm with other mothers of a movement to stop violence, and to welcome peace, and unity in our communities.
Sean Bell’s mother, Valerie; Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, and others who lost their sons “at the hands of the police” joined elected officials and community leaders to show solidarity with Mrs. Diallo and such organizations to keep the national conversation going.
“It’s a quarter of a century, so I had to return here without crying,” said Mrs. Diallo to the media. Of her first-born child, she said, “I want to pick up Amadou, dust him off, and give him back his story.”

And she’s doing just that through the Foundation she developed in his memory and in celebration of the values he shared with his strong family.
She also expressed her family’s gratitude to New Yorkers as a whole: “You guys helped us, prayed with us, comforted us when we needed that. We prayed together. We marched together. We protested together. We demanded changes together. And the journey continues.”
After Diallo sued the city and reached a $3 million settlement, she formed The Amadou Diallo Foundation.
“It’s for his dream to be implemented so that many young people will know who he was by achieving his dream through the Amadou Diallo scholarship,” Kadiatou Diallo said.
“I’m at peace. Amadou is at peace. It’s the history that we are documenting today,” she said.
According to the website, “The Amadou Diallo Foundation works to achieve its mission of promoting racial equality by implementing education programs designed to identify, nurture, and support promising students—especially those of African descent—who are transitioning from high school to college. Through our scholarships, training programs, and global mentorship networks, we empower our students so that they can complete their degrees, build careers, and become conscientious leaders in their communities. Our vision is to end racial inequities, promote education, and connect people, particularly of African descent.”