The Rhetoric of Shared Grief: An Analysis of Letters to the Family of Michael Brown

Abstract

The Black Lives Matter Movement is alive and growing as the media capitalizes on the killings of Black men. Amid the marches, protests, funeral services, television appearances, political rallies, and other symbolic gestures that have allowed those touched by the tragedies to express themselves emotionally, one might wonder how, in particular, the mothers of these young Black men respond, cope, and move forward with their lives. With an understanding of this type of loss, two women decided to reach out to a family in order to share in their grief and offer words of support. This article examines the letters written by Wanda Johnson, mother of Oscar Grant III, and Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, to the family of Michael Brown. It seeks to uncover the rhetoric of their grief and highlight the necessity of their words as a part of the grieving and healing process.