BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — A close-knit group of family and friends came together in the western suburb of Broadview, in remembrance of Jelani Day, an Illinois graduate student whose mysterious death remains unresolved even after five years since his disappearance.
Monday commemorates the fifth anniversary of the vanishing of Day, a 25-year-old student at Illinois State University. His body was later discovered in the Illinois River, a tragic end to an unsettling case.
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Supporters gathered at the Red Door Meeting Place for the 4th Annual All Black Gala hosted by the Jelani Day Foundation. This event serves as both a tribute to Day and a continual quest for clarity surrounding his untimely death.
During an emotional video presentation, Day’s mother shared poignant reflections on her grief and loss.
“I never envisioned a day without speaking to him. Sending him just two hours away for graduate school, I now find myself unable to speak with him ever again,” she expressed.
Carmen Bolden Day said the annual gathering is focused on keeping her son’s memory alive.
“It’s hard for me to associate the word ‘celebration’ with this because I’m not celebrating anything. What I’m doing is making sure that nobody forgets about Jelani,” she said.
Day disappeared in August 2021. His body was found weeks later in the Illinois River in downstate Peru. The coroner said he drowned, but the manner of his death remains a mystery.
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At the event, family members shared memories of Day and the impact of his absence.
“I imagine how you would’ve matured, how you would’ve impacted my life and so many others. I imagine how you would’ve been with our niece. She would love you,” said his sister, Dacara Bolden.
The gala also paid tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who joined the Day family’s search for answers early in the case.
Attorney Ben Crump, who also became an early advocate in the family’s efforts, served as the event’s keynote speaker.
“It seems like it was just yesterday, but think about how many young people, especially young people of color, have went missing and there’re still no answers,” Crump said.
Santita Jackson, daughter of Jesse Jackson Sr., praised the family’s perseverance.
“Seeing the Jelani Day family stand together, even as they are grieving, they don’t look like what they’ve been through. And they are empowering the community by telling us to continue the fight,” Jackson said.
The Jelani Day Foundation hosts the annual dinners to raise funds for local families of missing Black and brown persons.
The gathering served as both a tribute to Day and a continued call for answers in the case surrounding his death.
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