Little Rock, Arkansas – Award-winning journalist Brent Renaud was slain on Monday a year ago while reporting on the conflict in Ukraine.
On Sunday, he was remembered and his life was celebrated by his family and friends.
“Arkansas and the people of Arkansas, we probably couldn’t have gotten through this last year without all of their support and love,” Brent Renaud’s sister, Michele Purifoy said.
“Sadly, Brent is gone, and for us who are left behind the only thing we can do it keep his legacy,” friend and co-worker with Brent, Naga Endo, said.
The people who assembled on Sunday actually did just that.
“The crowd and the turnout from Brent’s memorial last year and this, just speaks to who Brent was,” friend of the family, Andy Sarjahani said.
Brent’s friend Naga Endo and they collaborated on numerous projects. Endo talked about how Brent affected his life and the reason he traveled from New York to Little Rock.
“The only thing I can do is just be here with everybody, with the family, and also to remember his legacy and what he was trying to accomplish so hopefully we continue that work he was trying to do,” Endo said.
Purifoy thought back on the childhood times she had with her brother and some of the things he had said to her that she would never forget.
“What made him healthy and whole was to do good for other people and use his limited powers to do good,” and “he would just be honored if we could use our powers to help the next person,” Purifoy stated.
Leaders from the neighborhood appeared to discuss both Brent’s global influence and his local impact in Little Rock as people ate and drank and shared tales.
“We are just so grateful for Brent, and we are proud that we were able to honor him last year, and still be here today with his family to continue to remember him so that we can create other Brent’s around the world,” Mayor of Little Rock, Frank Scott Jr. said.
“He is everywhere now, his spirit is everywhere it’s not just his work, the lives he has touched is infinite, it would be impossible to calculate how Brent had an impact,” Sarjahani said.