Staff Report

MIAMI – Wednesday, March 22, would have been the 20th birthday of Sherdavia Jenkins, the 9-year-old girl who died in 2006 after being hit by a stray bullet during an altercation between adult men as she played in front of her home.

Making headlines, Jenkins became a symbol of all child homicide victims. Each year, an Annual Remembrance is held in honor of young Jenkins and all children who have been victims of homicides.

This year, the event will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Sherdavia Jenkins Peace Park, at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (NW 62 Street) and NW 12 Avenue in Miami’s historic Liberty City district.

Like the event which is held yearly on July 1, the anniversary of Jenkins’ death, this remembrance is informal in nature to encourage maximum participation and provide a venue where genuine sentiments can be shared, even by those in official positions.

The event heralds a spirit of love and resolve, asking those present to engage in “lighting a lamp rather than cursing the darkness.” Organizers seek to address the causes, rather than only the effects of these tragic losses of the community’s children.

As a result, the occasion opens and closes with prayers and blessings, welcomes “Village Talk” by those with thoughts to share, and includes performances, most notably by children from the Multi-Ethnic Youth Group Association (MEYGA) Learning Center, in nearby Liberty Square, where Jenkins lived and died.

A special moment occurs when attendees honor the names of the 108 children lost to homicide in the nine years of Jenkins’ lifetime (an average of one per month) and balloons are released in their memory.
Admission to the event is free and open to the public. Limited parking is available in the adjacent parking lot and on nearby streets.

For more information, call 305-904-7620 or 305-635-2301.