Remembering A Chicago Hero, Ms. Sharon "Boo" Evans

One of the reasons why I became a journalist was to be a voice for the people who really matter. And after a family friend was buried today, I began thinking about how a person's life can inspire others even after they pass on.

Ms. Sharon "Boo" Evans was that family friend to us and countless others. For countless years, she served her Chicago community of Washington Park and the congregation of The Greater Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church-- a place where her family and my family began our longstanding friendship.

And according to scripture, the service Ms. Boo gave is what made her great in our eyes. In fact, the spirit of community service which she exhibited could be considered a familial trait. She worked with her sister, Condena "Connie" White, and their late mother, Mrs. Doris Evans who passed last year, in various capacities at Greater Metropolitan Church. The two sisters were ushers who also assisted their mother with feeding the community. 

Yet, Ms. Boo never received a key to the city or a spot on the evening news. She was just a regular Chicagoan who did some very incredible things for people.

Today, my family learned that Ms. Boo was a mother to more than just her son Demonte and daughter Katrina; she was a mother to young people in the community looking for a sense of family. She provided babysitting for working parents with children and gave some a place to stay who had fallen on hard times. 

And she never did it for any acclaim. 

That is what I admire about people who serve; they give freely excepting nothing in return. 

This is why I am proud to give back to her by keeping her memory alive on this blog.