‘Walk For Me’ honors Bianca Roberson
Road rage victim’s mother continues her battle against gun violence
Road rage victim’s mother continues her battle against gun violence.
WEST GOSHEN » While the mother of road rage victim Bianca Nikol Roberson is experiencing emptiness, she is making the best of a terrible situation and fighting back against gun violence.
Along with the Bianca Nikol Merge with Mercy Foundation, mother Michelle Roberson will host the “Walk for Me” event, a 2.5 mile stroll on Sunday, Aug. 5, at East Goshen Park.
Bianca Roberson, 18, was killed by a single bullet during a June 2017 road rage accident when a driver attempted to merge on the Route 100 Bypass in West Goshen. Delaware County resident David Desper is being held without bail in connection with the shooting death of the recent Rustin High School graduate and incoming Jacksonville University student. He faces trial in September.
Michelle Roberson has lost both her children. Twenty two-year old son Mykel died in 2013.
“It hurts more now,” Roberson said during a Thursday interview at a local restaurant. “The shock has worn off and reality has finally hit me.
“Someone just took my child. He didn’t have a right. He was a soldier for the devil.”
Roberson said she will attend Desper’s murder trial scheduled to start on Sept. 24.
“It’s not even about Bianca anymore, it’s about saving him. She’s gone, she’s dead and never coming back.”
Roberson lives with the losses every day.
“I feel like I don’t have a family,” she said. “My immediate family was taken from me.”
Roberson then smiled when she talked about the good that can come from Bianca’s death and the upcoming walk in the park. The mother is fighting gun violence and racial intolerance.
“I’m excited, it puts a big smile on my face,” she said. “I hope the community will come out to support the memory of her life – it is something positive – a way to share smiles.”
The $5 charge to take part in the walk, along with income from T-shirt and water bottle sales, will benefit youth scholarships for summer camps.
“(Participants) will go outside the community and see that the world is bigger than we think – and it’s not everything we see every day.”
Roberson is starting a local campaign to fight back against racism.
“Racism is a learned behavior,” Roberson said. “Why can’t we learn not to be racist?
“It gives me hope to speak and share my story to avoid another family going through this. Change needs to be made.”
An October tree planting during Bianca’s birthday month and when Mikel died will be hosted by Roberson and the Merge with Mercy Foundation. A red oak will be planted near the site where Bianca was shot and killed.
For more information or to register for the walk, go to www.mergewithmercy.org.