Grieving Mother – By Jeressa Jeremy
Grieving Mother Calls Justice
It has been 586 days since Asabi Charles lost her daughter, Achazia James, and the grief remains as raw as ever. In an open letter to the nation, Charles shared her heartbreak and called for urgent action as more young lives continue to be tragically lost in Antigua and Barbuda.
“This is no longer a one-family pain,” Charles wrote. “It has now become a national issue. Too many of our young people are being taken, too many families are left without answers. We need justice. We need answers. And we need this now.”
Her words came in the wake of recent deaths that have shocked communities across the country. Charles spoke not only of her own loss, but of the broader crisis facing the nation’s youth.
“These are children I knew, lives I saw growing, futures that once held promise,” she said. “To witness such loss, one after the other, is deeply painful. Families deserve closure—not just having a body, not just putting my child to rest. We need people held accountable. We need justice for our children.”
She described the emotional toll on families and communities.
“You wake up every day with that pain. You learn to smile, yes, but your heart is still broken. It affects not only your womb, but also your other children. It affects your peace of mind. No family ever truly recovers from this.”
Despite the heartbreak, Charles said her faith and the support of her community have kept her going.
“I get by on a daily basis because of my faith, because of my community that stands with me, my family that supports me. Honestly, without God, I don’t think I could have gotten to this point.”
She also extended her support to other grieving parents, naming several young victims of recent violence: “To the mothers grieving—the mother of Amari, the mother of Rihanna, the mother of Vande, the family of baby Shanta, Yennefer, and so many others—you are not alone. You have a community; you have a nation that is behind you.”
Charles offered a message to the country’s youth as well: “I want to encourage them to stay on the right path, be mindful of their surroundings. Justice will come, and this nation and our youth are going to be better.”
Her open letter and public appeal highlight a crisis that goes beyond individual families. It is a call for answers, accountability, justice, and a reminder that the safety and protection of young people in Antigua and Barbuda cannot be taken for granted.
