JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This weekend, mothers who have lost their children to violence will come together to honor their loved ones and support each other.
It’s happening at the 4th annual Mother’s Day brunch, hosted by the Silent Women Speaking foundation in Downtown Jacksonville.
Foundation founder, Nikki Carswell, said she expects to host 84 moms.
For some, like Vanessa Lopez, it will be their first breakfast and first time sharing their story. “I want to meet moms, I want to see Nikki, I want to see all the other mothers and maybe we can talk about how they cope with the death of their children," Lopez said.
Lopez lost her son, Jalen Hunter, in 2021. He was killed in a shooting while he was home visiting family in Indiana.
“He went to go and get some strawberries at the store from his little cousin, he got in the car and that was it. They just started shooting," Lopez said.
Lopez has a tattoo on her arm with Hunter's first name, his birthday and the day he died.
“This was the fatal shot," Lopez said pointing to the tattoo on her arm. "It was in his arm, and it led up to aorta when the bullet traveled."
Lopez said detectives are working to find the person who shot and killed her son.
Hunter left behind two young sons.
"He was the big brother, the dad, he made everybody smile,” she said.
For a year and a half, Lopez stayed silent.
“I tried to do everything but talk about it. I didn't want to deal with the pain," Lopez said.
Until she met Carswell.
“It's the sisterhood no one wants to be a part of, but it's a sisterhood that's needed," Carswell said.
The sisterhood is Silent Women Speaking, a support group for mothers who have lost loved ones to violence.
“We've started a book club, I have about 10 moms that have wrote a chapter in the book," Carswell said.
Lopez wrote one of the chapters.
“I couldn't sleep. You know, at three, four o'clock in the morning, I find myself just writing and it just came out," Lopez said.
Hunter's life is one of ten stories soon to be published in a book, Painful Tears of Silent Women. It's a story she plans to share Saturday at the brunch with 83 other sisters.
Mayor Donna Deegan also declared May 4th, the day of the brunch, as Angel Moms in May Day, honoring the foundation and its moms.
Former Jacksonville Sheriff, Nat Glover, and Forrest Bailey, the father of Tristyn Bailey, will guest speak.
Survivors and family of victims of the Dollar General shooting will also be in attendance.
The City of Jacksonville, Kids Hope Alliance, Dollar General, First Coast Relief Healing Jax Fund, and AL Lewis Black Opportunity & Impact fund are all sponsoring the event.
The book, Painful Tears of a Silent Women will be published in late May.