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: More Than Miked
Digital Art on canvas “Strength”
Co-victim: Sonya Dixion
Victims: Chip and Zakiyy
Zakiyy Alford was murdered on June 19, 2017, outside his father’s home in West Philadelphia. He was shot 15 times.
His brother Kenyon (Chip) Alford was murdered September 2018 outside his grandmother’s home. Both cases remain unsolved. Their grandmother Sonya continues to fight for justice for her grandchildren is reflected in the portrait.
Sonya says: “There are no words to express how much I miss my boys.”
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
