CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. β A Chesterfield woman shattered by her brother's murder has turned her grief into a lifeline for children struggling to understand violence.
Daija Monroe was 24 when her younger brother was shot to death inside a car close to his home in May 2022. She remembers the TV coverage and the interview requests to her mom, but often thought, "What about me?"
"I've always seen on the news or people around me that lose people to gun violence, but until you go through it yourself... It's a strange feeling," Monroe said.
That strange feeling led to a Google search that would change everything.
"I just googled children's grief books, kinda wondering what was out there for a child who may not have the words or tell someone what they're feeling and that's what made me decide I'm going to create a book," Monroe said.
Monroe had seen children who had lost parents or siblings firsthand.
"I worked for Richmond Public Schools, and I've seen children who've lost parents or a sibling and I thought to myself, 'If the feelings I feel in my body as an adult, I wonder how a child feels carrying those same feelings?'" Monroe said.
The result is "Always With Me," a 25-page gentle, colorful guide that walks young readers through grief.
"I wanted a grief book where a child can open it up and see themselves in the book and not label it to one individual like a grandparent or parent," Monroe said.
Monroe says if her words and lessons can make one child feel less alone, then her brother's legacy lives on. It's wisdom she attributes to her upbringing.
"Thanks to my mom, she was a single mom, we grew up on food stamps and things like that but she always showed me, don't let your now determine your future. She's the person that told me to use this stuff as a stepping stone, get out of it and keep going," Monroe said.
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