By all accounts, Quanita “Tay” Jackson was someone trying to make a difference.
On Saturday, the 20-year-old helped organize a three-on-three basketball tournament that drew a large crowd to Moody Park for hoops, food and music. A day later, she was shot and killed near the park.
“Quanita was the energy Milwaukee so desperately needs,” one of her colleagues said in a news release released by the city. “She was friends to a few, but family to most. Her desire to be greater than her circumstances was both refreshing and empowering.”
Jackson served as a youth ambassador in Program the Parks MKE campaign, organized by activist Vaun Mayes, which aims to tamp down violence in inner-city neighborhoods.
It was Mayes’ group that put together the basketball tournament.
After Mayes got a message that one of his youths had been shot, he raced to the scene.
Reporter-videographer Mark Doremus pieced together Mayes’ Facebook Live posts to document what happened next.
Jackson was interviewed Saturday by Mark Doremus, who covered the basketball tournament for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
Here is what she had to say:
About Mark Doremus
Mark is the video content strategist for NNS. He holds a Ph.D. in journalism and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He worked as an administrator for the University of Wisconsin System for 20 years before he retired in 2015. You can email him or call the newsroom at (414) 604-6397.
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Quanita was doing what she could to bring peace and stop violence. I commit myself to follow her example, and ask everyone else to do the same. I am praying God’s strength for our community and Quanita’s family and friends.
Quanita was doing something positive only to still get negative results from some so senseless omfg this just broke my heart all over again forget my heart because hers is wat got her killed tryna be a good person in the community i freakin hate this happened
Thank you, Quanita, for being a positive force for change. Your life was short but you made it count. We need ALL of Milwaukee to follow your lead.
When is the Funeral
This breaks my heart. May she rest in peace.