Students at Frederick Douglass High School joined the growing population of high school students around the country to take the pledge that they would not resort to gun violence.
In recognition of The Day of National Concern (October 16), the Woodson Center’s Voice of Black Mothers United (VBMU) and Uplifting Hearts, Minds & Souls (HUMS) partnered to share first-hand accounts of gun violence with the students at Douglass High School and implore them to find any other way to resolve their conflicts than by using a gun.
The students heard from a mother whose daughter was shot as an innocent bystander. A young woman told her story of how a friend’s gun accidentally went off in another room and struck her through the head. A father shared how his son died from gun violence walking to the store like he had done many times before.
In addition to the first-hand accounts of gun violence, the students were also addressed by Atlanta Board of Education chair Erika Mitchell, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, and Gwinnett County School Board member Karen Watkins.
“I hope that the stories hit their heart. I hope it’ll make a difference in their lives so they can share with others,” said Rhonda Knight, the founder of HUMS and the Georgia State Lead for VBMU. “They saw how it affects families, our communities, schools, and friends. I hope they take something from each speaker and put it in their lives so they can really be the voice that makes a difference.”
The pledge to end gun violence has been around since 1996, with more than 10 million students taking the pledge. According to Knight, the gun violence in the communities where students have taken the pledge has gone down significantly.
“In a culture, community, time, and era that we are living in right now, there’s not a day that goes by that’s not a day of concern,” Douglass High School principal Forrestella Talyor said. “I can honestly say that there were stories shared today that the students have seen before. I think the perspective that is sometimes a disconnect for our students is how do the decisions that they make or the lives that they’re trying to live impact the people that love them.”