Community Honors Malayshia Allford at May May Day Event

Family members, neighbors, and community members gathered at Morris Park in Overbrook on Sunday for an event known as “May Day,” 6abc.com reported.

The gathering honored 10-year-old Malayshia Allford just days after police discovered her body inside the trunk of a vehicle in South Jersey.

Allford’s foster mother, Carprice Williams, has been charged with her murder.

“All that she was going through, she kept a smile on her face. That’s what I want everyone to remember her for: that beautiful smile,” said Allford’s uncle, Nafis Horne, according to 6abc.com.

Mourners at the Morris Park gathering also distributed free food and clothing to residents in need. Aamina Wright, founder of The Village for Our Children, noted the bittersweet nature of the turnout. “It’s sad that it had to be for this incident for this situation to have everyone come together, but I’m grateful for it,” Wright said, as reported by 6abc.com.

Participants at the event expressed a shared frustration with institutional oversight and vowed to pursue policy changes. “The city had one job, and that was to protect all the children, not just Malayshia,” cousin Tawanda Austin told 6abc.com. Austin questioned why more thorough investigations and protocols are not in place to prevent such tragedies.

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Horne echoed those calls for structural accountability. “I need accountability for everyone involved. This shouldn’t happen to another kid, and it’s sad it happened to my niece, but changes are coming,” Horne told 6abc.com.

Community organizers and relatives stated that Sunday’s gathering marks the beginning of a broader movement. Additional events honoring Allford are planned throughout the week, and supporters hope to eventually see legislation named in her honor, 6abc.com reported.

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