THE FAMILIES OF JAFAR BROOKS AND STEVEN EASON WERE HONORED DURING CENTRAL’S GRADUATION CEREMONY, MAY 24. (PHOTO BY BRIAN COOK SR.)
Central Catholic High School honored the lives of two of its former students who were set to graduate in 2024, but whose lives were cut short due to gun violence.
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively that the families of Jafar Brooks and Steven Eason were recognized on the same Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall stage that the two teens were set to walk across to receive their high school diplomas as part of the Class of 2024.
Brooks died in December 2020 following a shooting in Penn Hills. Brooks was 15 years old. Eason died in September 2021 following a shooting at a haunted hayride in North Versailles. Eason, too, was 15.
STEVEN EASON, JAFAR BROOKS
In the days following their deaths, everyone who was publicly interviewed about the two teens had nothing but good things to say about them. A grandfather of Brooks, Rashad Byrdsong with the Community Empowerment Association in Homewood, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “Jafar wrestled, he ran track, played baseball, played football — he was an overall good kid. He had a great spirit and personality.”
Brooks’ cousin, Anwan Wesley, told the PG that “Jafar was a special young man.”
When Eason’s mother, Shantel Pizaro, put together a memorial basketball tournament in honor of her son in 2022, she told the Courier at the time: “He really enjoyed the game. Steven was an amazing kid, he was full of joy.”
For the nearly 170 other families who watched their sons, grandsons, brothers and nephews go up on stage and receive their diplomas on Friday, May 24, they could never imagine what it’s like to be the families of Brooks and Eason.
“Following conversations with both families, it was agreed upon that Central Catholic High School, along with Jafar and Steven’s classmates, collectively wanted them to be a part of the 2024 commencement ceremony in a special way,” President of Central Catholic High School, Matthew J. Stossel, ‘95, told the Courier. “Central Catholic was glad to do this for Jafar and Steven. It was the right thing to do and make sure their families know these young men have not been forgotten. It is difficult to imagine what they have gone through, and as a Catholic school we have the ability to remember and pray for the souls of Jafar and Steven as a community.”
“I am profoundly grateful for Central’s act of kindness,” Pizaro told the Courier in a statement. “It remains incredibly difficult to come to terms with the absence of my son and the milestones he would have shared with his twin sister. When I inquired about awarding Steven with an honorary diploma, I was uncertain about the response I would receive. However, Mr. (Kevin) Sheridan (interim principal) graciously accommodated my request. Central’s willingness to provide this opportunity exemplifies the school’s admirable character. Their support has been unwavering since this tragedy occurred. Central truly embodies a family, treating each member with exceptional care and compassion.”
Amargie Davis, grandmother of Brooks, told the Courier: “Being a part of Central is truly a family. They have been supportive throughout this paralyzing journey. The young men that Jafar met have never forgotten him in the short time that they met him. It gives me comfort that he wasn’t forgotten.”
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