Last month, University of Arizona alum Bakari Henderson tragically lost his life in Greece after suffering a brutal death by beating while in Greece.
The final moments of the heartbreaking incident was captured via surveillance video, showing a mob chasing Henderson outside a bar and surrounding him.
Bakari’s parents, Jill and Phill Henderson sat down with Gayle King of CBS This Morning to speak out, and said that they “want justice for Bakari.”
Bakari — a name that Mrs. Henderson said means “of noble promise” — was in Greece to do a photoshoot for his clothing line.
Bakari had traveled abroad before, and his parents assumed he was doing well.
That is, until they received the call that no parent wants to get: one from the U.S. Embassy.
Clerks there informed them of their son’s death.
They learned that their son's death was the result of an altercation at a Serbian bar. A young woman asked Bakari for a selfie, prompting a Serbian man to say to the woman, "Why are you talking to a black guy?" before hitting Bakari in the face.
When asked whether they believed the altercation was racially motivated, Mrs. Henderson said, “How it started may not have started that way. It may have started out as an American issue, and then resulted in, you know, a black American tragedy.”
Bakari’s parents that he felt more comfortable overseas than he did in America, which gives his needless death a sad irony.
His parents said they were split on watching the video of his final moments. Bakari's father said he couldn't help but to watch it, while his mother said she couldn't bring herself to, that she'd rather have only positive memories of her son.
Both parents, however, noted they’ll miss his bright spirit, sports chatter and his energetic laugh.
There are nine suspects who face charges of voluntary manslaughter in connection with Bakari’s beating.
Although his parents feel his loss keenly, they hope that their son's death can serve a higher purpose.
"You know, I first thought, 'What parents would raise such barbarians to do such an evil thing to another human being?' And then the Holy Spirit just kind of spoke to me and said, 'You know what, it's bigger than that. It's so much bigger than that,'" said Jill. "Because the world that we live in today, our leaders sit back and they just almost condone this type of behavior. So they don't condemn it. And by their silence, they promote it. And so I think in order for us to move forward, we're gonna have to do better in general."
As for moving forward, Bakari’s parents would ideally want everyone involved “locked up, and hopefully for a very long time.” They have hired lawyer, and are raising funds via GoFundMe to cover the legal costs.
And, in effort to keep Bakari's spirit alive, his parents say that they plan to launch the clothing line their son was in Greece working on in his stead.
