Sanaa Mahari Amenhotep’s death will not be in vain.
At Weequahic High School, the school Sanaa once attended, Saleemah Graham-Fleming swore to the crowd that gathered Thursday that her 15-year-old daughter — who was shot and killed in South Carolina — would be a spark for change in Newark and beyond.
No matter what it takes.
“That girl is going to ring bells if it kills me,” Graham-Fleming vowed, as her voice rang out across Untermann Field, as she held Sanaa’s sisters.
Hundreds of friends, family and community members gathered at the field to memorialize Sanaa, 15, and support Graham-Fleming and Sanaa’s father, Sharif Amenhotep, a member of Newark’s Brick City Peace Collective and someone known as “the soul” of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition.
Sanaa was living in Lexington when she was reported missing in early April. For three weeks, authorities searched for Sanaa, but the effort came to a tragic end when investigators found her body in a wooded area of Lexington County, South Carolina, officials previously said.
Sanaa Amenhotep's mother Saleemah Grahm-Fleming and father Sharif Amenhotep walk on the football field at the start of the memorial service. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media
On Friday, Lexington County Sheriff Department deputies arrested Treveon Nelson, 18, near Leesville, South Carolina and charged him with murder, authorities previously announced. The department previously said that Sanaa had been shot to death.
A juvenile girl was also arrested in the ongoing investigation into Sanaa’s death, but authorities did not release her name or charges. Richland County authorities in South Carolina previously said they arrested another minor, a 17-year-old male, on kidnapping charges.
Investigators believe Sanaa initially left her Northeast Columbia home voluntarily April 5 with two acquaintances before she was held against her will, according to authorities.
Sharif Amenhotep caries a ceremonial casket with Saleemah Grahm-Fleming, Sanaa's mother, during a start of the a procession where the casket was taken around the track of the football field. The family held a private burial service for Sanaa earlier in the day.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media
The memorial, held hours after a private funeral service Thursday morning, drew supporters from various religions, community groups and neighborhoods all over the country, as far as South Carolina and as close as the city itself.
From Cotton Funeral Services, in the City of Orange, Sanaa’s family brought her casket to the field, arriving in a solemn procession. Clad in their warmup jackets, members of Weequahic High School’s track and field team carried Sanaa’s casket around the track, as those gathered looked on.
Trailing behind their daughter were Amenhotep and Graham-Fleming, holding their daughters, Sanaa’s sisters.
Sanaa’s death cracked and shook through the Newark community, as one of the city’s champions of peace was hit with personal tragedy at the hands of gun violence. Over the years, Amenhotep has been one of the loudest voices against violence in the city, often serving as a mentor for residents who wanted to keep their children safe.
“Y’all saved my son,” said one woman to Amenhotep. “The streets didn’t get him.”
One by one, friends and followers of Amenhotep approached the podium. Some offered condolences. Others offered prayers. But all offered support for someone they see as a pillar in Newark.
“Stay strong,” said one man to Amenhotep. “We need you to.”
Nakiyah Scott, 14, remembers her best friend Sanaa Amenhotep during the memorial. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media
As she spoke about Sanaa, Graham-Fleming assured the crowd that what happened to her daughter was tragic, but that it was only the beginning of change. Her daughter, born after a doctor had told her it was likely she was unable to have children, was raised in a city that made her strong.
“This environment. This community gave Sanaa a strength that was very intimidating,” said Graham-Fleming. “Me and Sharif gave her a love that was ungripping. We were intentional on doing that.”
“We wanted to give our children something different than what we had,” she added.
The family, bolstered by support from many of those who spoke, also called for a law to be named after Sanaa that would change how police respond to reports of missing children. The Sanaa Amenhotep law would prompt law enforcement to “respond more aggressively” when a child is reported missing and not wait for the usual timeframe before searching.
Sanaa Amenhotep's sister Sade, 13, is consoled by her cousin Genesis. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media
Through tears, Nakiyah Scott, 14, who called Sanaa her best friend, recited a poem for the friend that always made her feel safe. The friend with a great energy around her and with a good heart.
“Now sadly I leave you and travel alone,” Nakiyah said. “Throughout a mystic veil to the great unknown. With such beautiful memories, that’ll be the way I hope you forever remember me.”
As their mother spoke, Sanaa’s sisters Sade, 13, Nia, 9, and Assata, 6, looked on, a photo of their older sister behind them. Sade struggled to speak, recalling her “best friend” and telling the crowd her sister didn’t deserve her fate.
Nia told the crowd that her sister was a really good person and that she never got to tell her how much she truly loved her.
Assata knew only that Sanaa is still here, if only in her own smile — the one that reminded her of her big sister.
“I wanted to tell my sister that I love her and I care about her and that I know that she’s alive,” Assata said. “Because I love her and I look like her. And because I look like her, she’s alive.”
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Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon.
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