Birmingham awards diplomas to students who died before graduation
Graduates of the A.H. Parker High School Class of 2022 walked the stage on Thursday, June 2.
Students from all seven of the Birmingham City Schools’ high schools walked the stage at Bill Harris Arena this week and received their diplomas.
The graduates of A.H. Parker High School filed in Thursday wearing the school’s colors of purple and white. In the audience, families wore T-shirts with their graduates’ faces on them, and cheers filled the arena as Pomp and Circumstance began to play.
Graduation is a rite of passage many families and students look forward to their whole lives. But in the rows where the graduates sat three seats were left open.
On top of those seats were wrapped cap and gowns with a big bow on top and three large signs with the names of Parker students who lost their lives before graduation: Kaleb Tucker, James Looney and De’Undray Haggard.
After all the graduates walked across the stage, Principal Darrel Hudson asked for the families of the students who died to come to the stage to accept their diplomas.
“These seniors are not here with us physically, but they are here with us spiritually. And they will always be part of A.H. Parker High School, Class of 2022,” Hudson said.
When Kaleb’s name was called, his mom accepted his diploma along with his cousin Kendarius Tucker.
“It was unfortunate what had happened to him. But we still congratulated him,” Tucker said. “We’re still, you know, living for him because I know that’s the way he would want instead of just us constantly grieving all the time. He was a really good person.”
Kaleb died from medical complications in 2019. James and De’Undray died in shootings in 2019 and 2022 respectively. Since the beginning of this school year seven students in Birmingham City Schools have been shot and killed.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence estimated nearly 2,000 children and teens die from gun violence every year in the United States. City leaders in Birmingham launched a series of listening sessions for teens in city high schools as part of an effort to reduce gun violence in the community. In May, they held the first listening session at Parker High School. The city-funded effort will put new counselors in schools, train students on how to de-escalate tense situations and is asking students for solutions.
Kyra Miles is a Report for America corps member at WBHM.
Argentina’s top court upholds Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s corruption conviction
Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner — one of Latin America's most recognizable political figures — is facing 6 years in prison and a lifetime ban from office after a major corruption conviction upheld.
The U.S. and China have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes
After two days of talks in London, the U.S. and China have agreed in principle on a framework to carry out an agreement they reached on resolving their trade disputes last month, Chinese state media said.
Alabama executes Gregory Hunt by nitrogen gas for 1988 murder of Karen Lane
Hunt's execution marks Alabama's third this year, on pace to match the six it carried out last year, and the fifth time it used the controversial method.
National Park signage encourages the public to help erase negative stories at its sites
The Department of the Interior is requiring the National Park Service to post signage nationwide by June 13, asking visitors for feedback on any information they feel misrepresents American history.
Looking into Alabama’s ‘Blood Money’: how taxpayers foot the bill for lawsuits by prisoners
The Alabama Department of Corrections settled more than 100 lawsuits against its corrections officers for excessive use of force since 2020. Inmates say officers left them with broken bones and brain damage. Beth Shelburne, a Birmingham-based independent investigative reporter, found that taxpayers are covering the cost in her four-part series for the Alabama Reflector called "Blood Money."
TikTok superstar Khaby Lame was detained by ICE before being allowed to leave the U.S.
Lame, 25, produces nearly silent videos that have made him the most-followed personality on TikTok. But U.S. officials say Lame, an Italian citizen, overstayed his visa earlier this month.
