Antonio Frierson always wanted to take his sister Antonett to prom. Now Antonett is helping him fulfill his dream by wearing a prom dress emblazoned with photos of her late brother.
By Breanna Edwards, ESSENCE
One of Antonio Frierson’s dream was to take his sister Antonett Frierson to prom.
That will never happen, as the 16-year-old was shot and killed by his friend Micah Sanders more than two years ago.
Sanders, who was playing with the gun at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and dangerous possession of a firearm and served a few years behind bars.
Despite Antonio’s life being cut short, his sister was determined to honor him and his promise by taking him to prom emblazoned on her prom dress.
“I took my memories and imagination and created something I can envision,” Antonett told FOX61.
Antonett’s dress, created with the help of designer Mariah Jackson, features photos of Antonio all over the elaborate gown, covered in delicate purple lace.
“Recently I had lost a friend through gun violence and it was very, very intense. It was a similar story only [Antonio] was even younger, so it really hit home,” Jackson said.
“I just didn’t pick just any picture of his face or because it’s a clear picture of his face. Every picture on that dress has a story,” Antonett added.
“Now that the dress is made, it’s even more beautiful than we thought it would be,” the siblings’ mother Angelyca Dossa said.
Even as the family celebrates Antonett’s dress, there are still some tough moments. Sanders recently violated his community corrections sentence, an alternative to further incarceration, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, the news station notes.
“You see the person that killed him just being able to go to social media and say this is what I ate today and say what is happening in life. I can’t see that. I can’t talk to him,” Antonett said.
Antonio’s family, never believed that the shooting was an accident.
“This wasn’t an accident. You don’t accidentally shoot someone in the forehead,” Antonett told Fox59 back in 2017.
This article originally appeared in ESSENCE.
