LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Mother's Day could be especially difficult for those who are grieving after losing a loved one to gun violence. So, it’s the goal of one Louisville organization to uplift them.
During International Bereaved Mother's Day, Mothers Against Murder Acts (MAMA) brought the community affected by gun violence together for portrait reveals, which feature faces of those who were killed in Louisville.
Organizer, Nicole Cowherd knows all too well this feeling of hurt.
It was January 2019 when her son Richard Harper, 18, or Dookie, as he was called, was shot and killed at a bus stop.
Portrait of Nicole Cowherd's son, Richard “Dookie" Harper Jr.
“This is my day right here,” said Cowherd. “Day of honoring my son.”
Not long before that, her husband, Charles Cowherd, was murdered. She said, “I still have my mother and I still have other children so I’m grateful to God.”
In the gymnasium of the Chestnut Street Family YMCA full of families also affected by gun violence, were a few stacks of portraits ready to be sent home with the families affected.
“It’s a blessing to be a blessing to these families,” said portrait artist, Tashi Woods.
Before they were handed out to the families, Woods said it was an honor to create more than 50 portraits for this bereavement and celebration of life event.
“I did them all in about three weeks,” Woods explained. “I lost a lot of people, and I lost my fiancé too, so I wanted to uplift people who've lost somebody.”
Even with all the tears, hugs and prayer, every bereaved mother grieves differently.
It’s Cowherd’s hope, many will continue turning to each other to find support from people who know what they are going through.
"After the funeral, after the services, everyone goes on about their life and everything is forgotten so we just want to be the mothers of today,” said Cowherd. “You can’t forget about our babies.”
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