The above image, Keshone Forever Young, was created by artist Val Yoder as part of the 2021-2022 Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition.
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Keshone Young was the epitome of happy-go-lucky. He didn’t let anything get him down.
When his mother Lakesha Saunders mourned the recent loss of her parents, Keshone encouraged her to smile, told her that life was too short, and no one has the promise of tomorrow.
Keshone graduated from Thomas Edison High School in North Philadelphia in 2014 and most recently worked as a crew assistant at Checkers before the pandemic cut short his employment. Ever the optimist, he planned to parlay his new-found free time and his love of fixing things into a career as an electrician.
He enrolled in the Kaplan Career Institute, intending to keep his promises of opening his own business and eventually moving his mother into a better neighborhood.
But Keshone never got the chance to achieve his goals. He was shot and killed on Oct. 27, 2020, near his home in North Philly. He was 24 years old. Police have not made any arrests.
Keshone was the oldest of Lakesha’s four children, and the third youngest of his father, Monta Young’s, six other children.
Keshone received the nickname “Papi” at a very young age because many people thought he was Latino.
“We had people approach him and speak in Spanish to him, thinking he was Hispanic,” Lakesha remembered with a laugh.
Keshone was outspoken and would say whatever was on his mind. He enjoyed making people laugh, and he also loved to eat.
“He’d go around the table asking his brothers and sisters if they were going to finish their food,” Lakesha said. “He was a human garbage disposal because he finished everyone’s food.”
Described as caring, loyal and a good listener, Keshone had many female friends who sought him out to talk about their problems and their lives. Lakesha spoke to her son about her own situations, too, and he’d listen and give advice.
She also recalled just how thoughtful her son was.
“We both loved cats,” Lakesha said. “On my birthday, Keshone got me a cat and named him Virgo because I was born in September. It was such a thoughtful and kind gift because he loved cats and could have kept it for himself.”
A fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and the team’s former star Derek Fisher, Keshone loved basketball and football. He also had a passion for writing hip-hop lyrics and poetry as well as reading.
“He would read the Quaran because he converted to being a Muslim, but he’d always read the dictionary because he would talk about sharpening his vocabulary,” Lakesha noted.
Most of all, Keshone loved family gatherings.
“He was the life of the party. He loved the togetherness, and he always wanted people to be together,” Lakesha, with her voice trailing off, said somberly.
“I instilled in all of my children that they should put God first. Keshone did that.”
Lakesha laid her son to rest at the Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square.
A reward of up to $20,000 is available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for Keshone’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.