Family, friends and community members shared a somber moment Saturday as they paid tribute to the late Amira Nairat near the spot she was struck and killed by a suspected drunken driver on Feb. 4, 2019.
The tragedy happened right across the street from Richards High School, where Amira had been a freshman, at 107th Street and Central Avenue. Though the school is in Oak Lawn, the location where she was killed is in Chicago Ridge, the village in which she lived.
To memorialize the young woman, who was known for her loving personality, a street sign was erected declaring a portion of 107th Street to be Amira Nairat Memorial Drive.
Several dozen people gathered for the ceremony Saturday as the sign was hoisted and attached, including officials from Chicago Ridge and Richards High School, as well as representatives from The Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, the Bridgeview School and the Nahda Center in Worth. Several talked about Amira afterward, including her father, Mahmoud Nairat, and former Richards principal Mike Jacobson, who now is the school’s executive director of Student, Family and Community Engagement.
“She was a joy, she was so happy, she was so kind,” Jacobson said, recalling talking to Amira in the hallways. “She was very popular, she had a thriving friend group. All the students really appreciated her kindness and her desire to make sure everybody had a really good day.”
Jacobson said the sorrow among Amira’s family and friends was tempered by a supportive community, including members of the Mosque Foundation who visited Richards after the tragedy.
“They were heavily involved,” Jacobson said. “That’s a really tight-knit community … they were really a great source of grief counseling.”
Amira’s mother, Roza Dawud, said the memorial street sign is a good, public way to remember her daughter.
“She always cared for everybody, even as a small child she was the most selfless person I ever met,” said Dawud, who lives in Oak Lawn. “She always liked to help everybody else, classmates, she would help her little sister with school, she always wanted to help around the house. At four years old, she grabbed a step stool near the kitchen sink and wanted to do dishes,” said Dawud.
Community member Pamela Lucas, attended the ceremony with her daughter, Richards senior Gianna Marshall, because she is a parent and member of the Richards community.
“What happened to Amira could have happened to my daughter,” Lucas said. “I believe Amira belongs to anyone who is a parent. My daughter and I wanted to be there to show our support for the family.”
While an Oak Lawn man was charged with aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death and other charges in connection with Amira’s death, anger and regret over the incident linger on years later.
Dawud said her faith has helped her deal with the loss, as well as tending to her daughter’s body and the shroud after her death.
“I think honestly she was too good for this earth,” Dawud said, adding her daughter had wanted to work in the healthcare field as a doctor or nurse. “I know this is not the end, I know I’m going to see her again.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.