Sea of pink across Aussie capitals as mourners remember murdered five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this story contains the image and name of a deceased Indigenous person.
Poignant scenes emerged across the country as Australia united to remember the life of Little Baby Kumanjayi.
Hundreds of people gathered to remember the five-year-old at a memorial service on Thursday night, casting a sea of pink across the Northern Territory town.
Little Baby Kumanjayi disappeared from his camp home in the town of Old Timers on Anzac Day, sparking a desperate search.
His body was found a few days later.
Jefferson Lewis, who was staying at the camp around the time of his disappearance, was arrested and charged with murder.
He continues to be detained as a prisoner.
On Thursday, mourners dressed in pink to remember the joyful five-year-old, gathering in capitals across the country for candlelight ceremonies.
In Darwin, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Parliament House in Darwin, lit candles on the green and observed a minute’s silence.
Similar scenes were observed at Anzac Oval in Alice Springs; According to ABC, while children were running around and having fun, singers were also performing.
“We saw the best of our community, we saw a strength that we all know has always been here,” Vigil organizer Chay Brown told the broadcaster.
“That’s why we’re here tonight to rekindle that power.”
Lean Liddle, Northern Territory Police’s chief cultural reform officer, read a letter from Kumanjayi’s mother.
“I want you all to know that my heart is broken into a million pieces and I’m having trouble knowing how I can fix it and how I can live without my little baby,” she said, according to ABC news.
He said he did not want his death to be politicized or used by politicians who “did not honor and respect him.”
“I ask everyone to allow me, Ramsiah (Kumanjayi Little Baby’s brother), our family, and the nation to mourn without judgment,” he continued.
