Ear Hustle

A Life Gone Too Soon: Who Was Afrikka Hardy??

My life and the lives of my children has been rocked to the core upon finding out that a very dear friend and one that I consider an adopted daughter was found murdered in Gary, IN.  As gruesome as the story has unfolded to hear that the person who committed this horrible crime may be connected to several other cases going back some 20 years.

While my heart goes out to the other women who also may have met their fate with the perpetrator, my focus is: Who was Afrikka Hardy?  For those who have been privileged to have known Afrikka Hardy, we all are thanking God for a allowing us to be in her life and not the other way around.  We have to understand that we are on this Earth and in the “physical” flesh for however long The Creator sees fit.

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Afrikka Hardy came into my life by way of my children when they attended Mooseheart School a private school in Illinois.  She was your typical happy young girl with a head full of curly hair.  Needless to say she hated to get her hair combed.  That was our connection, when I was a child I had a head full of long curly hair and I despised getting my hair combed.  So it was one night I was hanging out at the school with my daughter and we were just acting so silly one evening. I was doing my daughter’s hair and Afrikka said to me “Ms SunShyne I don’t like to get my hair combed but I will let you do my hair because you wouldn’t hurt my head”.  I said to Afrikka “I hear you pumpkin I didn’t like to get my hair combed either and sure I can do your hair, it’s no problem.” (see the photo below) This child’s hair was by far the curliest I had ever seen and OMGEE was she ever so tender-headed.

Afrikka Hardy

So after I finished her hair, we became the best of buddies but I knew it was because she wanted me to do her hair for her….LOL!! I didn’t mind it at all.  Those who knew Afrikka all have different accounts of their interactions with her but what I know of her is she was a sweet, loving and joyful girl who made lemonade out of the lemons that life put before her.  She loved to laugh, play and sing.  I can recall a time or two when I was doing her hair she would burst out in a song (now my old mind couldn’t grasp the music) but it sound good to Afrikka and that’s all that really mattered.

Check out this YouTube video of an older Afrikka singing:

Despite of what Afrikka’s shortcomings may have been and what she chose to do with her life one fact still remains, she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, a mother-to-be and most importantly she was loved.  As a mother of 3 children and 2 of them being young women, I could not fathom someone doing them harm or every having to bury them.  Sure as I know that there is a God and He is omni present, I believe that Afrikka made her peace with God and in doing so her death although tragic helped to take that monstrous devil off the streets.

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Afrikka Hardy’s death may not have shocked the world but it most certainly has shocked those who knew her and loved her for who she really was.  Posted below are words of disbelief, love and remembrance for Afrikka:

Martrise a former student at Mooseheart:  Afrikka Hardy I love u girl! I’m gonna miss that funny deep weird voice that always made me question if you were human or not.lol Your jokes, laughs, smiles, and giggles. Your super curly hair that was really hard to comb and brush through. It’s still very unreal. However, i am slowly coming to terms with the fact that you are in a much better place. You can get that college education you wanted for free now. I will definitely see u again one day. I love u and rest easy babe.

Michelle a former roommate at Mooseheart of Afrikka’s posted the following to her Facebook wall:  –Afrikka Hardy I am at a lost for words that you are gone. I remember when we were roommate once; you and me was always laughing and getting into trouble. This should have never happened to you. You where just a baby. Rest Easy Little One.

Anna Powell via Facebook: Life is too short. Just reminiscing all the good times we had. From middle school to high school & so on. It’s shoccing to know I’ll never get to see your pretty face again or hear you sing with that beautiful ass voice or tweet you anymore. How could someone do something so harsh to someone so beautiful? Just don’t understand it. R.I.P Afrikka Hardy Gone but NEVER forgotten

Liz Carpenter: A Million Times We Miss You, A Million Times We Will Cry; If Love Alone Could Saved You, Never Would Have Died. In Life We Loved You Dearly, In Death We Love You Still. In Our Hearts You Hold An Place, No One Else Can Fill. It Broke Our Hearts To Lose You, But You Didn’t Go Alone; For Part Of Us Went With You, The Day God Took You Home!

Breshawn Mitchell:  couldn’t sleep Last night you was on my mind heavy It just feels so unreal that your gone but i know your in good hands and your free from any pain and stress. My heart and prayers go out to your family. Rest In Paradise Beautiful Gone But Never Forgotten.

Brihana McIntyre: R.I.P Afrikka. I will never forget the times we shared all the way from middle onto high school. I will miss you and the times we shared singing together in our middle school choir. May god be with you and your family in this hard time. RIP I LOVE YOU AND YOU WILL TRULY BE MISSED.

 

Earhustle411 and the writing staff extends their condolences to the family of Afrikka Hardy.  May God give you the strength to endure through this trial but also give you peace when as you remember the good times. 

Rest In Heaven Afrikka Hardy, you will be truly missed. Look down on us from time to time!!

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Photos & Quotes: Facebook

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