On June 4, 2020, Fitz Alexander Campbell Thomas, 16, drowned in Goose Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River in Leesburg, Virginia.

On the one-year anniversary of her son’s death, his mother, Pastor Michelle Thomas, walked, for the first time, the path Fitz took to the part of the creek where he drowned. Some of Fitz’s best friends, now graduating from Riverside High School, plus a few “Riverside moms,” as Thomas calls them, accompanied her on her walk.

Fitz’s death received significant attention because the 911 response to the incident mistakenly routed the calls to the Maryland side of the Potomac River, and it took emergency responders nearly 40 minutes to arrive. The tragedy has prompted commonwealth and county officials to examine and improve 911 emergency protocol. And the family says legal proceedings against the county are continuing.

But this day was dedicated to remembering Fitz.

Thomas reflected, “You can never conquer what you don’t confront. And so today was just about me confronting exactly what happened. What happened to Fitz? What was the walk like? How long was the distance? Were there any impediments along the route, and really, you know, confront that water. And the water was treacherous. And so it’s just good to face it and know that even death is a part of nature. But Fitz loved nature. And so he was with the people he loved. He was doing what he loved to do and he…will forever be loved and in our hearts.”

Last year, Fitz became the first free African American to be buried at the African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont. Thomas, Fitz, and the rest of the family had spent years restoring the historic burial site, before Fitz’s death.

“We’re here today at the Kephart Bridge Landing trail that he took to get to the water that he eventually passed away at for the one year anniversary. We’re bringing Pastor Michelle, his mother, here down for the first time so she can really look at the area and come to peace with it. So it’s going to be a good day getting some good closure and we’re excited and blessed to be here,” said Christian Yohannes, 18, second to left.

“A lot of them played football together. Some of them were actually at the river the night Fitz drowned. And they some of them took the steps to deal with 911, have them come. Some of them got in the water to actually find Fitz. So they were very familiar with this path,” Thomas said of Fitz’s friends.

“[We’re] retracing the steps of Fitz. On June 4, 2020, that fateful day in which he crossed over from time to eternity,” Thomas said.

“So much joy. I mean, look, they are good. They are happy,” Thomas said about Fitz’s friends. “Their life with Fitz was about music and singing and love and culture. And I thought it was fantastic. They shared his song list, which that was something else that I haven’t been able to conquer. Right. So you got to confront the song list. Just listening to what he loved and taking in his style of music and being at one with the things that made Fitz happy.”

“I guess just to feel like he’s here again or like he’s with us or something,” said Fitz’s friend Shaon Mangal, 18. “I mean… just in the presence of his mom just kind of brings that back too. But, like, just the whole atmosphere just brings Fitz. So…it’s just…a good way to…walk through the forest, especially at the same place we’re going to where he passed away, sadly. But it’s definitely something that I wanted to do for a long time. And we’re doing it now.”

“As we journey along, wrap Fitz in the palm of Your hands. Thank you for the 16 years of life. Thank you for the impact that he made in our community and our family and in this world. Lord, we pray that his work continues through the lives of each and every one of us. Lord, we pray that we are bonded closer together, that our hearts are made stronger, our love for each other becomes more genuine, and our work together will change this nation for the better,” Thomas said in prayer.

“Fitzy… loved history and he took this historic walk and we’re tracing his footsteps. Not only is it Fitz’s footsteps, but is the footsteps of our ancestors. So right here in the former Coton plantation, you had nearly a hundred people enslaved…African Americans enslaved here. So it’s almost serendipity, almost, that we’re tracing the steps of Fitz and we’re also tracing the steps of our ancestors,” Thomas said.