Yakira Chambers Obituary, Death – Yakira Chambers would remind me every few weeks that we needed to get back together because this was the group she believed would still be meeting even when we became showrunners. This was the group that I had to disband at the beginning of this year in order to focus on personal things, and I was forced to disband my writers group as a result. I explained to her that I would have to decline her offer at this time but that perhaps in the future we could work together on resuming the project. We were each other’s sounding board: She always encouraged my hustle (especially once I moved out of LA), and I always talked her down from the edge of throwing in the towel as she was trying to break in.
Back in 2016, both of us went to AFF together, and while we were there, we fantasized about the day when we would be able to act and write full time. After declaring that we wouldn’t go to Sundance until we had a film in the festival, we eventually gave up on that idea and went to the festival in 2020, where we had an incredible time. An encounter for which I will be eternally grateful that we did not put off having, as we did not wait to have it.
When we were all accepted into our respective writing fellowship programs, we celebrated together. When we both got jobs, we elevated the significance of that celebration to a higher level. She was more sophisticated than I was, so she would always choose the location, and by the time we left, we’d both have the impression that we gave ourselves a taste of the life we deserved. We shared our frustrations with each other over FaceTime about the BS that Black women writers go through, and we assisted one another in navigating challenging situations that arose in our respective rooms. And we would continually discuss the various ways in which each of us can lend our voices to the written word in order to facilitate positive social change.
Yakira was an absolute FORCE, and she was only just starting to enjoy the benefits of all of her hard work. It’s really difficult for me to wrap my head around the possibility that one day she won’t be able to run the show and tell all the stories she’s always wanted to tell. In spite of this, she was devoted to her family and had a reputation for being a trustworthy and honest friend. Because it doesn’t make sense that it was actually her who passed away, I keep having the thought that I should just send her an audio message informing her of this as if it were someone else.
It breaks my heart, and I beg you to think and pray for her family, especially for her husband and her mother. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
And while you still have the chance, spend time doing what you love with the people you care about. Even if it’s something as simple as eating together, because life is so precarious. You are going to be missed, Yakira.
And while you still have the chance, spend time doing what you love with the people you care about. Even if it’s something as simple as eating together, because life is so precarious. You are going to be missed, Yakira.