E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe first lady joined hundreds of mourners on Saturday at the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, who was killed at a park near her Chicago high school. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
CHICAGO -- Hadiya Pendleton was remembered by many Saturday as a smiling young girl full of laughter and love.
First lady Michelle Obama and hundreds of supporters attended a funeral for the slain teen Saturday morning at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church.
The service began shortly after 11 a.m. to a packed room.
"Hadiya was too young to leave us but not too young to make a mark," Pendleton's pastor Courtney Maxwell said at the start of the service.
The service was filled with uplifting testimonials and a few words on gun violence in the area.
One of Pendleton's close friends happily remembered their last moment together.
"Her smile lit up a room," she said. "The last thing I saw before they put her in that ambulance was her smiling and from heaven above I know that each day she's smiling down on all of us."
Hadiya's mother, Cleopatra Pendleton, thanked everyone for the kind words that were spoken about her daughter.
"I can stand up here and say my baby girl was good," she said. "But for all you to say she's good ... that's something different."
Cleopatra Pendleton also thanked her family for the support she received since her daughter passed.
"You don't know how hard this really is," she said. "And for those of you that do know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Though the family strived to keep the focus on Pendleton the first lady's visit drew attention, and lots of security, to the funeral and shed light on the ongoing issue of gun violence.
Pendleton's godfather Damon Stewart, wearing purple accents to honor her with her favorite color, said he thinks her passing will help raise awareness for those who have lost their lives to violence.
"She is a representative to not only the people of Chicago but to the people of this nation who have lost their lives," he said.
One of her friends said he was being realistic about the tragedy because Pendleton "always kept it real."
"This is life," he said. "This is Chicago."
A letter from President Barack Obama offering his condolences to her parents, Nathaniel and Cleopatra Pendleton, was printed on the back of the program.
"We will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence," the letter read.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Rev. Jesse Jackson were also in attendance.
Pendleton was killed last Tuesday at Kenwood Park on the city's South Side days after she performed at some of President Barack Obama's recent inauguration festivities. She was shot to death blocks from her school and about a mile from the president's and first lady's Chicago home.
Hundreds flocked to pay their respects to the 15-year-old girl and emotions were high.
The church quickly filled to maximum capacity before the service began and many people were turned away, though a large group remains gathered outside.
Some of Pendleton's classmates were emotional when they couldn't get in and cried outside the church.
One man was arrested after a fight broke out among the line of mourners stretching down South State Street.
Nam Y. Huh / AP
Danyia Bell, left 16, and Artureana Terrell , 16, react as they read a program for the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton outside the Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday.
Related:
Leave a Comment:
point taken,well said.
You can't even respond to the same thread you pissed in earlier. At least LEARN how to be a troll. lol
Anyway, I'm out and off to a good dinner and friends. Hope you enjoy living in misery and fear...
If this attendance by Mrs. Obama was done quietly and with no advance publicity, I think it would seem more sincere. The phrase, "Never let a disaster (calamity, misfortune, whatever word they used) go to waste!" echoes through my consciousness...
At least get the quote correct, OK?
"You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."
I guess they have no gun laws in Chicago.
... Chicago probablly has the stronest anti-gun laws in the world, look how well that works!
as long as she didn't spend any of my tax money on the trip because it sounds personal to me or she would be going the every shooting victims funeral.
Hadiya took time to perform in the parade at the inaguration so I am sure the FLOTUS felt she should return the favor. Why do you worry about your tax money now when all the other presidents and their wives did the same thing. You bunch of hypocrits calling others racist while you make your ignorant racist comments against the first family.
This young, beautiful, talented child was sacrificed for the marxist, socialist disarmament agenda of the government, it was a hit, plain and simple. All these children are being sacrificed for an evil cause, just look at the God less behavior of the White House and say that everything that you read is on the up and up. Something very evil is happening, and don't be fools and led off a cliff by the pied piper of Washington. get to the bottom of it people, all this is not right, why?
Making cheap political points off murder.
Come on Obama, raise her from the dead.
So sad! A young girl is dead.......murdered and the news media, politicians, and NV commentors turn it into a political fiasco.
It's a damn shame that her classmates were turned away and that some idiot had to start a fight at the funeral.
Nothing but deepest sympathies for her family and friends.........speechless, not much one can say or do.
while I too have sympathy for her family and friends, the fact is that Chicago, in general, adn the black community, in specific, have been tolerating this situation for YEARS and doing NOTHING to make it better.
And that is sad.
May her soul rest in peace and her memory last on in our hearts.
And at the little girls funeral, the focus becomes Michelle Obama and her husbands social political agenda. Just isn't right.
Pure political pantomime Obama. Sick
What a terrible thing to happen to a young girl so full of life, full of positive thoughts, full of the gift of giving and yet the elected baboon's still rant on about gun control. The press continues to role with their special backed agenda's and with the First Lady making the funeral services the media is eating it up.
This young lady's homicide should not be exploited for any reason other than to bring the people of Chicago together to fight the plaque of gang related violence that has infested itself in their inner-city neighborhoods for too long, it should unite each and every neighbor for the good of their children to fight tooth and nail the thugs who currently THINK they control every corner of their turf with no opposition. Time to get tough on CRIME AND GUN RELATED VIOLENCE! The banning of these copycat AR-15's. the 30 round mags, and any other law that is or will be created will not prevent these tragic losses of young innocent lives. What is law to a criminal, words on a piece of paper? Action by these killing thugs deserve RE-ACTION by the communities witnessing tragic death after death and who will have the POWER TO CHANGE their circumstances by stamping out these rodents of death by banding together and working with law enforcement to protect everything they live for!
MidwestMac--you are absolutely right that LAWS will do NOTHING to improve the situation--the laws already EXIST in Chicago.
But as long as the people do not RESPECT the laws, they are worthless.
And having an administration that will not enforce the laws on the book (against illegal aliens, for instance, or the pos's that hire them) is not just a symptom of the problem, but a CAUSE.
The shame to me is that it takes an event like this one to even draw Obama's attention. I had GREAT hopes for him in 2008, that he would use his 'bully pulpit' to challenge the Black community to CHANGE the cycle, and to use him as a shining example of what a Black young man could become.
Sadly, he not only has not done so, but his crony's continue to perpetuate the situation by Kow-towing to the Chicago teachers Union, which blackmailed the City into even MORE money/bennies, even tho they are failing the youth of the City and the City itself, in NOT teaching even the bare minimum kids need to learn to succeed in life.
When half of your youth cannot even graduate HS, what CHOICES do they have besides joining the 'gang' lifestyle?
Cowardly girlyboys need lots and lots of guns to make themselves feel safe, but their aren't enough guns in the whole world to give them what they really need, which is a spine.
when some evil scumbag breaks into your home and they do have a gun.......won't you be proud that you weren't a "cowardly girlyboy" as you watch them rape your wife and daughters??
By all the News accounts, she was a well-raised girl. However, what about the almost daily occurrence of the murder of other children in Chicago? Many of those are gang members, and not so well raised. Her death appears to be accidental. One of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Why does Chicago allow street gangs in the first place? Make it a crime to be in one, and lock them up, when discovered. Let's be honest about gun registration. Gang members do not register their guns.
using a dead child for political gain?.....scum!! I guess Michelle doesn't care about the other 553 people murdered in Chicago alone each and every year, including many other children??
It is too bad the girl died.Brought down,no doubt by someone who would've wanted to bed her,if he hadn't killed her
Imbecile.
playing politics --- also I do no remember her going to the like girls funeral that was killed when Gifford was shot. I understand it is their home town but she is playing the media to hype the gun issue otherwise she would not have given advance notice.
Given that she was not proud to be American until her somewhat black husband was elected president could it be that one was white and the other black or is it just pure politics? Racist myself no but believe in calling it both ways and without her racist remark it would not even be a question.
The reason Michelle attended the funeral was the family and friends of this girl got a petition signed and sent to the White House wanting Obama to come for some reason he couldn't go, so they sent MO after deliberating for several days.
too bad she can't take the short drive to Arlington for the funerals of our military personnel
Hey Chicago, how are those strict gun laws wokring out? You mean criminals aren't obeying your laws ? I am shocked ! I mean gun control just has to work..IDIOTS
Bill not that you would care but the vast majority of gun violence is committed by guns coming outside Chicago, probably from a state like yours. Don't worry Bill. I know you care about the lives lost in Chicago by your demeanor. That's why we are here to help. We will not rest until guns are no longer doing this to people anymore. No need to thank just me, Bill. Look around you. The help is everywhere.
Charlie not that you care but Il as a state has strict gun laws. I think the point you are making, stricter guns laws = criminals will still get guns! So these laws keep law abiding citizens from having the freedom to own a gun?
Tell me neighbors how has making drugs illegal, working to kept them off the streets?
And had the girl been white would MO have attended? I know, I'm the racist for even suggesting it while Obama only attends black peoples funerals and takes their side.
Umm... Kenny - maybe she attended because she was at the president's inauguration, as a child that held promise, and as an example to the country, and that her potential was snuffed out. I know you probably do not mean it, but the way you write it seems like what she could have been is not important to you. So, what's your point really, if you aren't racist and bigoted?
As I watch the news I continually hear this incident described as "gun violence" I think "gang violence" is a more to the point descriptive. This is always the problem African Americas have dealing with their problems. Not placing the blame where it truly belongs.
Still waiting for one of the finer gang bangers to step forward and turn in the shooter.
Condolences to the family and prayers for them during their grief and recovery. Michelle showing up is nothing but political BS, completely disrespectful and usual for the Obama’s. A death should never be played, let alone like this was.
Not only was Michelle there, but Rahman, Jessie, et al, plus a large contingent of the Washington press. You can see them in the video panning of the people in the front rows.
This was nothing more than a show for Obama and the political machine. It should have been a service and funeral for a child killed by the corrupt and uncontrolled gang population in Chicago, and should have been awed earlier.
Now Obama will probably pay for the mother to come to Washington on Tuesday and be a mannequin for show at the State of the Union.
Forget about the other 70 or so that have also been killed in Chicago. (without use of salut rifles or high capacity mags)
Very first comment collapsed by community. Why? Because the truth was told and this very liberal news site can not stand to run the truth of a story. If she was so innocent why was she even in the same vicinity as those gang bangers? There is a lot of gaps in this news story.
Where was Mrs. Obama when all those kids in school were killed? Why was she not at each and every one of their funerals?
This is a good lesson Mrs. Obama should take back to the White House to her clueless husband. When gun control takes over, only the gang bangers and other criminals will have those weapons.
The Obama's can attend as many funerals as they want, it will never take the weapons out of the hands of the gang bangers or other criminals. They will always get them.
I expect to see Mrs. Obama at every kids funeral killed by a gun in the future to prove that the Obamas are not selective when it comes to race.
The Big O's lady might want to keep her suitcase packed, as unfortunately there are so many of these kinds of funerals.