Day Of The Dead Essay

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Why do people celebrate death? Many people including myself have wondered this, and when I first heard of the mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos. Translated in english, day of the dead is a holiday where instead of mourning lost ones they remember their lost ones by making alters, decorating their graves with things they used to like or their favourite food and celebrate their life. This mexican tradition is now celebrated throughout the united states aswell and this year we decided to dedicate alters to people we lost in the battle against police brutality. We have lost so many souls in the past decade that a black lives matter movement was created. Its sad that it even had to get to this point but all we can do now is fight for change and …show more content…

To the officer who murdered Akiel Denkins he was nothing more than a criminal. But to his family, his neighbourhood and his community he was much more. Akiel was a father. He had two sons, Kashmere and Kaleb who are barely old enough to read. He was a brother, cousin, nephew and friend. Akiel was known for his sense of humour and love for his family. He was avid UFC fan and member of the local church where his pastor remembers him as a “sharp dresser” with a bright future. Akiel had a bit of a rough upbringing. His mother had him at 15 and his father was put away most of his life for drug related charges.He grew up on Bragg street one of Raleigh 's roughest neighbourhoods. Akiel was remembered as a happy child who always knew how to make people laugh and a joy to …show more content…

I moved to the United States this summer and knew a little bit about the situation with police brutality. After getting this assignment and just flipping through the packet with all the names of people who died to pick someone i was shocked and saddened that such a thing was happening. I enjoyed researching the aspects of Akiel outside of the shooting and learning who he was, about his family and his life rather than just another victim. Through my research I found his facebook page which shared a whole side of himt that you just can 't find on ABC News. I did not know what to expect for the Day of the Dead event, and made my shoebox altar showing the few things most important to him such as pictures of his sons, a cross necklace representing his faith and a little UFC glove for his interest in boxing. When i showed up to the event it was amazing to see all these different people and have a visual representation of who they are. While not too many people stopped to ask many admired from a distance and i found myself discussing Akiel with fellow classmates and learning about who they chose. I think it was a great way to honor them and also show people who they were and what is happening currently in this

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