Return Visit to Moms Bonded By Grief

Editor's Note: Last June (2024), for Gun Violence Awareness Month, we visited with the Philadelphia-based support Group "Moms Bonded By Grief." Members of this group share a common, unspeakable tragedy, that of having lost a child, a son, daughter, niece or nephew to gun violence. The Moms welcomed us back this October, into their home and their Botanical Garden of Healing on 5100 Woodlawn Ave in West Philadelphia. The purpose of this visit was to enable our student filmmakers to build out their documentary "Our Time is Not Up" with stories of healing and survivorship courage. Here in their own words, are some of the impressions of our team.

Michael (Executive Producer):

Three young filmmakers. Three parents. One conversation no parent should ever have to have.

A few weeks ago, I shared a post about the upcoming student-led documentary Our Time Is Not Up and our visit with Moms Bonded By Grief. That experience stayed with us — not just because of the subject matter, but because of the openness and strength of the parents who welcomed us into their home.

Terrez and Andre McCleary, and Tanya Anderson, spoke about their children with clarity, love, and a determination to keep their voices alive. They shared who their children were, and what it means to speak for them now. It was an honest, generous, and deeply moving conversation.

Naarah (Director):

Saturday, October 11th, was a day of togetherness, creativity, and film, as well as direction and advocacy. I could not have imagined the warmth, love, and authenticity that were presented when we visited the mothers in Philadelphia. Directing a documentary is a demanding job but being with the people who make it happen is worth it.

To hear the voices of parents fighting for their slain children, recording and listening to their stories, and visiting a garden of remembrance and solidarity is one of the many reasons why this project was so important to all of us. This was a memory for the history books, and I am thrilled to see the final result.

Anne (Production assistant):
I’m not sure what I was expecting during this shoot. One thing I knew for sure was that my world would change for the better. I expected to meet grieving mothers who had lost children and while they are still grieving, they aren’t letting grief take control of their lives. Instead, they’ve transformed it into something meaningful. It was an incredible privilege to be invited into someone’s home and talk about the loss of a child to gun violence. It’s a heavy topic, and while we had heartfelt moments, I felt honored to learn their stories and meet their children through their eyes.

I once heard a quote from an artist who said that people die twice: first, when they physically die, and second, when people stop telling their stories. I hope these families never stop sharing their stories. I feel deeply for these mothers, and I can’t wait to see how much more good they bring into the world.