Hakim Sinkler would do anything for those he loved. If you were having a hard time, he would ask, “what can I do for you?” at the drop of a dime.
“The fact that you could call him at 5 o’clock in the morning,” Anjennette Caldwell, Hakim’s former girlfriend, said. “It doesn’t matter how late it was, he would always be there to talk to you. He can be at work, he can be tired, he can be stressed, but it didn’t matter to him.”
He was loving and reliable, and “didn’t deserve” his fate. On Oct. 11, 2017, Hakim’s life was taken. He was murdered in North Philadelphia at the age of 27.
“He had a smile that would melt anyone’s heart,” Anjennette remembered. “He had the absolute best personality.”
Throughout his life, Hakim took pride in helping others. He worked as a cook, and over the years had been employed in kitchens ranging from schools to food chains. At the time of his death, he was employed at Buffalo Wild Wings.
“I would describe Hakim as a workaholic. He just worked a lot and he was a very giving person. For all the years I’ve known him, that’s all he did.”
Hakim worked hard so he could support those he loved. For a time, Anjennette and Hakim were in a long distance relationship. Despite being out of state, “he would travel from Philadelphia to Baltimore like it was down the street from him.”
Even though Anjennette had a child of her own, Hakim adopted her son into his life, becoming inseparable with the young boy named Mekhi, now 5 years old.
“That was his son! He loved you both dearly! And he would give his last for his Family,” Jessica King-Cason said in a Facebook tribute to Hakim. “And if you needed help with anything he would make sure he would come through. A great man, son, brother, cousin, uncle, grandson, great grand son, a great FATHER to Mekhi and a loyal friend.”
Months after Hakim’s passing, Anjennette’s son still asks about him. Every time Anjennette drives Mekhi past Chuck E. Cheese’s, he says, “me and Hakim used to go there!”
“The best aspiration and part of his life was having Mekhi,” Anjennette said. “Them two were best friends.”
Anjennette recalls so many memories, from their their frequent trips to Chinatown and going to “literally every restaurant there,” to “building a foundation between each other” when they moved into their first apartment together.
“Any memory is a good memory.”
Date: 2017-10-11
Location: 200 N 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA
