Last Saturday, a program manager with the Person County, NC child protective services called Briauna Morgan and delivered the most horrific news a mother can hear: Briauna’s 1-year-old son, Kemari, was found dead in his foster home.

Since then, Briauna has relentlessly attempted to learn what happened to Kemari. How did he die? Was he sick the prior evening? Where is his body? Can she see him? The agency has stubbornly refused to answer her questions or to provide her with any access to her son. The foster resource will not return her calls or messages.

Briauna has two other children in the foster system, one of whom was residing in the same foster placement where Kemari died. The children were never harmed prior to being taken into the system, and now, one of them has died in the state’s so-called “care” and “protection.”

The community is calling for the state to release her two other children so that they can grieve this tragedy with their mother. As we fight for justice, we must also practice care: showing up for one another, meeting each other's needs in the face of violence and abandonment. Your contribution will help ease the immediate burdens Briauna and her children are carrying—and give them space to grieve, honor Kemari, and fight for justice.

All funds raised will go directly toward supporting Briauna and her children with:

"I still can’t believe this is real. I keep hearing Kemari’s little voice saying ‘juice, juice’. If Kemari had been home with me, I could have protected him, I could have kept him safe. Person County stole him from me, and now I’ll never be able to hold him again.” -Briauna Morgan