The Mothers, a short film by Leanora Minai
More about the Mothers in the Documentary
Each month, two mothers gathered with other grieving families at a public library in Durham, North Carolina. They shared stories of loss, survival and the lives that violence took from them.
Diane Jones lost her son in 1997, when someone shot and killed him in Durham after he had struggled with drug addiction. His murder remains unsolved. In the days after his death, Diane’s grief became so overwhelming that she briefly considered driving into the path of a truck.
Mina Hampton knew that pain. Someone fatally shot her son as he drove home in Durham in 1994. His killer has since left prison. For years, Mina wrestled with the same question: What if she had done something differently? Could she have saved him?
Diane and Mina found a way to carry on by helping others confront the grief they know so well. Together, they led the Durham chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, a national support organization for families and friends of homicide victims.
“Helping somebody else understand that this pain is deep in your soul, being there for another mother … it helps me,” Diane said.
Mina Hampton, left; Frank Stasio, host of WUNC’s The State of Things, center; and filmmaker Leanora Minai, right.
My short documentary followed these two mothers as they confronted the lasting toll of their sons’ murders while helping other families live with losses that never leave them.
Since the documentary premiered, WUNC's The State of Things and Tarheel Talk on FOX 50 have had me and the mothers featured in the documentary as guests on their programs. The film screened at the Parents of Murdered Children national conference, Carrboro Film Festival and Alice Fest.
Screenings and Community Conversations
The Mothers, a 10-minute documentary, is available for screenings that bring communities together to discuss the lasting impact of violence on families and the people who love them.
The film premiered at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University alongside short documentaries created by students in the Certificate in Documentary Arts program through Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies.
To arrange a screening for your organization, group or community, contact Leanora Minai.
