A worker died in a Belk bathroom and wasn’t found for days. That just doesn’t feel right
It just doesn’t feel right that Bessie Durham was dead for four days in the bathroom of a Belk store that she cleaned before anyone found her.
Durham, 63, of Columbia, was found dead Monday night in the store inside Columbiana Centre, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher. Durham died of natural causes, likely on Sept. 16.
It just doesn’t feel right because Durham was a mother and grandmother, according to reports. Any parent or grandparent deserved to be with those they love when they pass.
“The family is heartbroken with the loss of Bessie Durham,” her son Bobby Johnson wrote in a social media post Thursday. “We are still in shock and asking God to provide peace during this unforeseen circumstance.”
“As we grieve our loved one, we ask for your prayers and that you respect our privacy during this time.”
It just doesn’t feel right because dying at home only seems fair after a lifetime of working. Instead, Durham died as her cleaning cart sat outside the bathroom door, according to NBC New York.
It just doesn’t feel right because dying on the job gives us further proof of what we know — that everyday Americans have to give too much of their lives to their jobs. You probably feel like that don’t you? While we don’t know Durham’s specific circumstances, her death seems give us a touchstone between work and dying in this country.
Durham probably wasn’t making a ton of money. She probably deserved a day off.
It just doesn’t feel right because her undiscovered body shows how little the working class is regarded in the United States.
It just doesn’t feel right because the rich CEO of a national company wouldn’t die in the bathroom outside a boardroom and go unnoticed for days. National news outlets would report on the CEO’s life. For Durham, we only know her from the unusual place where she died — and because her death went unnoticed for days. Surely her life had special moments and accomplishments worth celebrating. She just didn’t have the money to be noticed.
Surely Belk cares in some ways. Certainly company officials care how Durham’s death affects their company’s image, but they also probably feel empathy. The same is true for the custodian service provider she worked for.
“First and foremost, we send our deepest condolences to the family of Bessie Durham, who was found inside a family restroom at our Columbiana Centre location,” Belk spokeswoman Jessica Rohlik said in a statement. “We are actively working to piece together what happened. Meanwhile, we have also made counselors available to associates seeking support.”
Even if the company sends condolences, something deep down just doesn’t feel right. Why didn’t someone look for her the day she didn’t go out the store’s front door?
This is an usual happening, but it feels like it represents more.
It just doesn’t feel right because Durham was a mother, a grandmother and a daughter who was no doubt loved before she was symbol of inequity. She may never have wanted to be that symbol. But she didn’t get to define how she was publicly remembered because she wasn’t wealthy enough to have biographers spill ink over her.
But by God she deserved some ink. Everyone does.
It feels like we should be angry about Durham’s death. But what does that anger do if it isn’t focused on making our world better?
It just doesn’t feel right because it feels like not enough people cared.
It feels wrong that Durham was left alone, dead in a Belk bathroom. And it feels wrong not to publicly acknowledge that emotion if doing so brings more dignity to workers or makes us all care just a sliver more for people.
