New Year’s Day is supposed to be a joyous occasion, celebrating a brand new year full of opportunity. But for Oscar Grant’s family, loved ones and community, New Year’s Day is a reminder of a persisting injustice.

Oscar Grant III was killed in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2009. Thirteen years later, the Oscar Grant Foundation will once again host a vigil honoring Grant at Fruitvale Bart Station from noon to 4 p.m. PST. Writer Thandisizwe Chimurenga tweeted that Grant’s memory lives on. 

Losing a loved one is tough under normal circumstances. Even with time, the hurt doesn’t go away. People just become better at coping. But when a person is wrongfully taken away, it further compounds the loss. 

Rev. Wanda Johnson, Grant’s mother, celebrated her birthday on New Year’s Eve, using her birthday as an opportunity to raise funds for the Oscar Grant Foundation. Johnson founded the foundation in 2010 after the conviction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer who killed Grant. Continue Reading