I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who had something to do with rounding her or having something to do with who she was.Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, mother of slain Chicago teenager Hadiya Pendleton • Speaking at her daughter’s funeral on Saturday. Hadiya, who had performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration just three weeks ago, was killed less than a mile from her home in a neighborhood park. First Lady Michelle Obama attended the teenager’s funeral, and many political figures, including the president and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, have offered support to Hadiya’s family. Her godfather, Damon Stewart, made an effort to emphasize that her life shouldn’t be used as a political tool, but that her loss, like those of many others lost by gun violence, should be personal in nature. “Don’t let this turn into a political thing. Keep it personal,” he said. “A lot of politicians will try to wield it as a sword. They want to use it for votes.”
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