Juanita Batchelor is one of the untold hundreds if not thousands of parents hit by the untimely death of a loved one by gun violence. Juanita was living her life as many parents do without a thought of this horrible event taking hold of her family. Then the unthinkable happened.
Juanita’s son Darrell Jenkins Jr. was shot dead in June of 2014.
The death of a child is enough to break even the strongest parent. She and her family still suffer the effects of that day. Juanita remembers the process she went through speaking to detectives, the district attorney, and family advocates.
It was awful, of course, because she was reeling from what just happened, but also because none of the people she was speaking to looked like her. She felt completely alone and overlooked by the police and her community.
In the United States alone there have been countless numbers of our black and brown children gripped by this tragic phenomenon, leaving the families stunned, numbed, angry, and devastated. Juanita has been pulled into this abyss. But Juanita’s story is not just about the unfathomable pain and the hole left in her heart, her story is about what she did and is still doing to help others who have gone through this gut-wrenching tragedy.
Having been through the trauma of losing her son, she wants to be there for other families facing these life-altering events.
Juanita does not want other parents and families to feel overlooked and alone.
I’ve been fighting for justice for Darrell while trying to help other families going through similar situations,” said Batchelor, founder and president of MORE. “My organization provides support for families of homicide victims and missing persons, standing with them as they meet with police and make court appearances, identifying resources for their children and grandchildren, and most importantly, showing empathy as they grieve.”
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MORE is not just for mothers says Juanita. Currently, MORE has several programs to assist families. There is a men’s support group for Men of Color, Food and Housing, Empowerment groups for Women, and Youth programs. MORE Mondays Juanita’s organization goes into high-risk neighborhoods like High Street and Fort Pleasant Avenue to distribute food. Juanita has worked with other organizations; even speaking at many such as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, and Dave Lewis African Coalition with Tracey Whitfield. Juanita has spoken at Hennessey Park here in Springfield at Magazine Park with Pastor Thomas and Americorps with School Committee member Latonia Naylor.
Juanita says she wasn’t looking to do any of this, she did it reluctantly. She has also spoken in Washington D.C.
Batchelor told MassLive in July 2020 that the shootings are out of control and feels angry that so many mothers and families are still waiting for answers. That still holds true today!
“We’re here trying to get justice for all the unsolved homicides. We will not keep our voices quiet,” said Batchelor. “We want justice for our loved ones. We want to find our missing persons, our family.”
Juanita Batchelor has taken her tragedy and turned it into MORE to help people who have had the traumatic experience of losing a child to homicide and having a child gone missing.
