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Rev. Ron Odom, Rev. Kim Odom, and neighbor and author/photographer Thaddeus Miles. Seth Daniel photo
The grace and beauty of the butterfly has been a focal point for Dorchester’s Odom family members as they continue to grieve the loss of Steven Odom, killed at age 13 by gunfire on a Dorchester street 19 years ago.
So, it was appropriate last Saturday morning, as the Steven Odom Serenity Garden was formally dedicated, that a butterfly fluttered off of a hibiscus flower, wove its way through two performing drummers, darted straight to Steven’s mother, Rev. Kim Odom, paused in front of her face, then disappeared into the trees.
It was one of several memorable moments as the Odom family gathered with more than 100 neighbors and elected officials at the garden on Hopkins Street.
“Steven’s story is not over,” said Minster Odom. “It lives on in every butterfly and every flower and in every stream of water on the fountain – every time someone comes and finds a moment of solace here, he lives on.”
Steven was killed on Evans Street by a stray bullet on Oct. 4, 2007 while walking home from basketball practice. It was a shocking moment in the city. Then-Mayor Tom Menino, who locked arms with the Odom family at the time of the tragedy, joined them many years ago in planting a tree where the murder happened.
But the dream of a serenity garden in the neighborhood has taken far longer to achieve after neighbors came together in 2008 to form the Redefining our Community Neighborhood Association (ROC) and envisioned the memorial space – now an official Boston city park.
“Our neighborhood came together like never before, united by love over a boy named Steven and a family called Odom,” said Trina Matos-Ambroise, president of ROC.
Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune, Rev. Kim Odom, state Rep. Russell Holmes, Rev. Ron Odom, Sr., Mayor Michelle Wu, Councillor Brian Worrell, and Parks Commissioner Diana Fernandez Bibeau. Seth Daniel photo
The garden faces Hopkins Street but is located at the rear of Caribbean Integration Community Development’s (CICD) Morton Village Station apartment building that opened almost three years ago. The space contains several benches, flower gardens and a peace labyrinth. And poems that Odom wrote during his life while attending the former Timilty Middle School in Roxbury are etched on stones in the park.
The poems were not known to his parents until after his death, specifically when a janitor found them from his locker and they were presented to them. One is titled called ‘Peace,’ and another ‘I Am.’
“For every neighbor that sits in this garden and needs peace…if you feel a calm, that’s his story and his presence with you,” said Ron Odom Sr., Steven’s dad. “Thank you for keeping Steven’s story alive with more than just words, but with a place. This garden is not about death; it’s about love strong enough to be etched in stone.”
Added Kim Odom: “Steven’s words have helped me live my life by faith again.”
Artist Lopez, a relative of the Odom family, jogged through the serenity labyrinth in the Steven Odom Serenity Garden on Saturday. Seth Daniel photo
Mayor Michelle Wu called the garden a “very special place in the City of Boston,” and Councillor Brian Worrell noted that “every child should be able to make it home from basketball practice.”
Also speaking and in attendance were state Reps. Russell Holmes and Brandy Fluker-Reid, state Sen. Liz Miranda, Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune, Marilyn Forman and Parks Commissioner Diana Fernandez Bibeau.
A highlight of the morning was a drum performance by Nko Fallou and Aidid Brayboy, an activity Steven’s family said he would have cherished.
A close-up look at Steven Odom’s poem ‘Peace.’ Seth Daniel photo
Neighbors Michael Bennett and Jodie Smith-Bennett took a moment to read Steven’s poem ‘Peace’ in the Serenity Garden.
Mayor Michelle Wu and her daughter, Mira, read the late Steven Odom’s poem, ‘Peace,’ which he wrote eight months before gun violence ended his young life.
Copyright © 2026 Boston Neighborhood News, Inc. This content may not be re-published or re-used without written permission.
