Cultural Autopsy goes beyond the book to examine the story beneath the story. In this episode, host Felicia Brookins sits down with Glenda Hill, the mother of Demetria Bracey, for a conversation twenty years in the making.
Demetria was a senior at the University of Mississippi, a French and international business major who had studied abroad in France and was weeks away from graduation, when her life was taken in November 2005. She was 21 years old.
Glenda remembers the daughter she raised in Jackson: the jokes, the church singing, the family movie nights, and the young lady who loved ice skating and made every room lighter. She also walks through meeting the young man Demetria met at college, the warning signs she still turns over as a mother, and the faith that has carried her through twenty years of grief.
Her message to parents and to young women heading out into new spaces is simple and hard earned: keep the line of communication open, and keep your children covered in prayer.
Felicia Brookins is an award winning author, screenwriter, and playwright based in Jackson, Mississippi. Running time: 50 minutes.
If you or someone you love is dealing with an emotional crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any time, day or night.
