A roundup of some of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year
In April of 2021,16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was killed by police in front of the Columbus, Ohio foster home she was living in. News of the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant shook the nation just hours after a jury in Minnesota delivered a verdict in the George Floyd case, and days after two other youth of color were killed by police in other states.
Bryant’s death inflicted deep sorrow on many current and former foster youth around the country, and raised questions about how the teen came to be in the home of a stranger.
Rev. Jamal Harrison Bryant flew to Ohio to lead the funeral service for Bryant, and captured the sense of loss felt by so many in his eulogy.
“This is a baby that is before us. Today, she should’ve been thinking about the SATs, thinking about the prom, thinking about going to Spelman or to Howard,” said Bryant. “We can’t sugarcoat the fact that we should not be here today.”
Ma’Khia Bryant’s death reveals serious flaws in foster care, especially when it comes to supporting kin, wrote Vivek Sankaran in an op-ed for The Imprint.
Family members and lawmakers called for probes into the role of child welfare and law enforcement in the death of Bryant.
In a special series for The Imprint, a group of parents and young adults with lived experience in the child welfare system shared their perspectives on the death of Ma’Khia Bryant.