On the day my son William was fatally injured, my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary. Amid our busy, happy lives as parents, it was a rare and peaceful “just the two of us” trip, one we had looked forward to for months.

But our peace was shattered by a phone call no parent should ever receive. Our 14-year-old boy had been struck by a car in a crosswalk, and just like that, our world changed forever.

William had a smile that could light up a room and a curiosity about the world that never dimmed. He loved going to the skate park, cheering on the Memphis Tigers and hanging out with his friends. The crosswalk was just blocks away from his favorite skate park, Society Memphis, and supposed to be safe. Aren’t all crosswalks meant to be safe? Isn’t that why we have them? But safety was an illusion, one that cost us our son, and sadly we are not alone in experiencing this particular kind of heartbreak.

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Memphis recently earned the grim title of the most deadly metropolitan area for pedestrians in the United States by Smart Growth America in its Dangerous by Design 2024 report. The statistics are staggering, but statistics alone don’t capture the horror and helplessness of losing someone you love in a preventable road crash. Facts and figures are just that, until you have to live it — until you have to bury your child, put away clothes they’ll never wear again and walk by an empty room that should still be full of life.

In the weeks and months following William’s death, my husband and I found strength in our faith and in advocating for awareness and change. We started with the East Parkway and Sam Cooper Boulevard crosswalk where my son was struck, going before the City Council to let them know William’s death could have been prevented if the intersection had been less confusing for kids.

While I am pleased the city did update the intersection soon after, it is not lost on me that part of why William’s death garnered so much immediate attention is because he was a fair-skinned, clean-cut young person. This tragedy doesn’t discriminate, though. People of all ages and backgrounds from every corner of our city are at risk when our streets aren’t designed with pedestrians in mind. Every family in Memphis deserves the same urgency and attention William’s death received, but the truth is, not every family gets it. That needs to change.

My husband and I are pushing for awareness and change for everyone, and we are joined by many caring Memphians. The months of October and November are especially poignant to us because October is Pedestrian Safety Month and Nov. 17, 2024, is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. We are heartened by the people who are coming alongside us to advocate any time of the year, but especially so as we join forces with families across the nation who have been impacted by roadway crashes.

We also advocate through William’s Walk, an initiative we founded to raise awareness and fight for pedestrian safety in Memphis. But though the name honors our boy, the fight isn’t only about William or about us. This is about every mother who shouldn’t have to bury her child, every sibling who shouldn’t have to live with an empty chair at the dinner table, every grandparent who shouldn’t have to weep for a future they’ll never get to see.

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Pedestrian deaths are preventable. We need crosswalks that are more visible, traffic-calming measures that slow down reckless drivers and city planning that puts people — not just cars — at the center. We need to change how we think about public safety — not just for certain neighborhoods, but for every neighborhood.

I am asking you to join us. Whether you live in the heart of the city or the suburbs, whether you’ve walked this painful road or not, you can make a difference. The time to act is now before another life is lost, before another family is broken.

Find us on Facebook at William’s Walk for more information or to join our fight. If you or your family have been affected and you would like to partner with us for safer streets in Memphis, please message us on Facebook.

My son was just walking to a friend’s house, doing what millions of children do every day. He had his whole life ahead of him. That life was stolen from him, but it doesn’t have to happen to anyone else. Let’s not wait until the next tragedy to make a change. We’ve already waited too long.

For William and for every family in Memphis, we must do better.

This column was written with support from Commute Options at Innovate Memphis.