‘My heart is just so broken’: Aniah Blanchard’s mother honors her 26th birthday, reflects on legacy
By Ayron Lewallen
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HOMEWOOD, Alabma (WVTM) — With a high-profile trial now behind them, Aniah Blanchard’s family is honoring what would have been her 26th birthday while carrying both grief and remembrance.
Blanchard would have turned 26 on Monday. She was kidnapped from an Auburn gas station in 2019 and later killed. Her remains were found a month later.
Earlier this year, Ibrahim Yazeed was convicted for her death and sentenced to life in prison.
For Blanchard’s mother, Angela Harris, the milestone is deeply personal. Harris said she was the same age when Aniah was born, and their birthdays are on the same day.
“My heart is just so broken,” Harris said. “It feels like I’m having a heart attack basically every second of the day. I miss her so bad.”
This year, instead of spending the birthday with friends and family at the Homewood Patriot Park, she returned to a restaurant where she and her daughter used to celebrate their birthdays together.
“On our birthday, she would always be like, ‘Mom, what do you want to do?’” Harris said. “She wanted me to be happy.”
Even with the conviction and sentence, Harris said the trial and sentencing forced her to relive the loss all over again—even though the sentence brought some relief.
“I’m happy with it,” Harris said of the sentence. “I know he’s not ever going to get out of jail to be able to hurt anybody else. And now, finally processing that, I’m okay.”
Still, Harris said days like her daughter’s birthday bring anger and heartbreak because Blanchard is no longer here. She said talking about her daughter helps her through even the toughest days.
“She was the sweetest, most caring, funny,” Harris said.
Harris believes Blanchard’s final act of courage—fighting to stay alive—will be part of her lasting legacy. She also said her daughter had long felt that something was going to happen to her, and that memory helped motivate Harris to push for Aniah’s Law, which she believes has made the world safer for others.
“Ultimately, yes, she did lose that fight, but she won because she saved so many other lives with Aniah’s Law, and that’s what she would have wanted,” Harris said. “She cared so much about people.”
Now, Harris said she and her son are working to honor Blanchard in new ways. The family is opening a food truck in her honor and expects it to open within two weeks. Harris also hopes to open a safety center for people who need help.
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