The troubling murder of our neighbor and owner of The Postman, D’Vonne Pickett, Jr., has the entire community shook. He was a good human, a father, husband, mentor, and community supporter. He and his wife sought to elevate the legacy of his great grandfather who was a letter carrier for 37 years by providing needed services – everything from stamps and mailing to fax machine access. Once the Central District post office at 23rd & Union was closed, D’Vonne and KeAnna instinctively knew a hole would be left in both postal services and community connections; so they filled the void with The Postman.
A beautiful future cut short. But what can live on is the devotion and legacy D’Vonne created for his family and for our community. We cannot allow the devastation of his passing to become the primary story. The legacy of both D’Vonne and his great-grandfather must take center stage.
When tragedy shows up to overshadow legacy, we have a responsibility to push back. We have to push back against the ebb of tragic spectacle and make certain that D’Vonne’s life, not his death, is what we uphold. He and his family deserve our focus on the time between the dash of birthdate and death date.
We are eternally grateful for the model D’Vonne was. His wife KeAnna told the crowd of mourners outside The Postman last week, “He wanted to show everybody that you could do it different.” Our takeaway is that we also want to be different. Rather than allow his loss to prevail in our hearts and minds, we will focus on all the good he accomplished and the legacy he upheld as a pillar of the community.
Support for the family of D’Vonne Pickett, Jr., is possible through donations to this GoFundMe. And when they reopen the doors of The Postman, let’s flood them with joy and gratitude, not pain and sorrow.
Let's do it different!