5 years later, some grapple with Antwon Rose's death coinciding with Juneteenth

For Antwon Rose’s mother, Juneteenth brings sadness instead of celebration.

Rose, a Black teenager and Woodland Hills High School student just weeks shy of his 18th birthday, was shot and killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer on June 19, 2018, five years ago today.

June 19 is also Juneteenth, a federal holiday recognizing the emancipation of the last enslaved people in the United States, and a day of celebration for the nation’s African Americans.

For Michelle Kenney, it’s impossible to separate the two anniversaries.

“How can I celebrate on a day that my son was murdered?” she wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

Michael Rosfeld, the former officer who shot and killed Rose, was charged in connection with the killing and found not guilty of homicide charges in 2019.

Kenney wrote that it has not gotten easier since her son’s death, and even though Juneteenth is a time to celebrate with Pittsburgh’s Black community, she is not able to join in the festivities.

“As I watch everyone go on with their lives and his name gets mentioned less and less, my heart hurts more and more. I didn’t just lose my son, I lost my everything,” she wrote. “Antwon was my reason to live from the day that he was born. He was my angel that God knew I needed at that time. His face is my face, his smile is my smile, his heart is my heart. So no, I can’t celebrate.”

Contacted by the Tribune-Review on Monday, Kenney did not want to comment beyond her Facebook post. She gave the Trib her blessing to share the post.

Jasiri X, CEO of the local advocacy and media group 1 Hood Media, said Rose’s death coinciding with Juneteenth is symbolic of the bittersweet nature of the holiday.

“Yes, we celebrate, but clearly we still need change,” he said. “We haven’t reached the finish line of freedom. We will have a marathon to run until we reach that.”

He applauded Kenney for her resiliency. Kenney is a fellow at 1 Hood, and she works with mothers who have lost children through police violence.

“She is still working through her own pain and grief, but she is also helping others through their pain and grief,” Jasiri X said.

He acknowledged police accountability measures that have been created with help of advocacy since Rose’s death. In 2021, then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is now governor, launched a statewide police misconduct database. The creation of a disciplinary matrix for city police officers was worked into the latest contract with the Pittsburgh police union.

He also mentioned the many election wins for candidates advocating for police and criminal justice reform in the Pittsburgh area, including the city’s first Black mayor, Ed Gainey, and the state’s first Black congresswoman, Summer Lee. He believes these victories were due, in part, to community organizing that flourished after Rose’s death.

Many goals remain unrealized, Jasiri X said.

He said real police-community relationships remain out of reach. He said, despite advocacy, the police use of force laws in Pennsylvania and nationally have not changed.

Jasiri X said over the years and following deaths of Black people at the hands of the police, there have been intentional campaigns to educate all Americans on Black history and the Black experience.

He lauded that effort, but noted that it has faced direct pushback.

“To really understand, you have to read and understand the history of Black people in the U.S. But we are at a time when people are trying to prevent that,” Jasiri X said. “The death of Antwon is a reminder of that constant struggle.”

Locally, Jasiri X said an effort to address the dichotomy of Rose’s death and Juneteenth is to celebrate and remember Rose on his birthday, July 12. He said the community hosts an event each year to show how “Antwon’s spirit is still inspiring people to do positive things.”

“I will never forget, and I don’t want to forget,” Jasiri X said of Rose’s death. “We don’t want to forget. We don’t want what happened to be replicated.”