Each day, we experience another death, another tragedy, another loss of life to violence, and we have no answers. There are many people–good people–working to help families and the community cope with the hurt and pain that comes with loss, particularly tragic loss.
As we at Scoop try to support our communities, victims and families, we have partnered with Zarinah Lomax and The Apologues to respect those we have lost by sharing portraits and brief introductions into the lives of the families that The Apologues’ has featured.
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Artist: Leek Crawley
Untitled, Acrylic on canvas
Co-victim: Tamika Morales
Victim: Ahmad “Taco” Morales
Ahmad “Taco” Morales was shot, and killed as he walked to a corner store in South Philadelphia on July 3, 2020, at age of 24. Ahmad’s mother, Tamika Morales, has been very adamant in using the video of his murder–as a tool to bring awareness to the pain gun violence brings to families when someone is murdered. He is missed every day, and his siblings really miss him. His siblings are the co-victims reflected in this portrait to honor the remembrance of their brother.
Tamika says: He is missed by my whole family. We need justice for my son. We are living a nightmare. I miss and love him so much.
What is The Apologues?
The Apologues (under the fiscal sponsorship of the Federation of Neighborhood Centers) is a fashion and art exhibit that uses the arts to assist individuals in healing, empowering themselves, and advocating against gun violence and trauma that plague urban communities. Through the use of fashion, art, and music, The Apologues honors the emotions of untreated trauma through the realm of storytelling to trigger healing. We do this through the combination of self-portraits of victims and co-victims, wearable art, and musical experiences combined.
For more information and to support this initiative, visit our website, https://www.theapologues.org
