Concerned Black mothers, grandmothers host panel to discuss rise in gun violence

Mothers who have lost children to gun violence were joined by two other women, an author and elected official, during a recent panel discussion about gun violence.

The panelists over the weekend talked about how gun violence affects everyone − directly or indirectly − and discussed ways to decrease gun violence at an event held at the Porters Community Center in southwest Gainesville.

Billed as "Black Mothers and Grandmothers Against Gun Violence," the event was hosted by Music, Arts, Movement and Action (M.A.M.A.'s) Club and sponsored by Black Mothers Against Gun Violence and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

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The panelists included gun violence survivors Janice Harvey and Amanda Goldsmith; author and sheriff candidate Pamela D. Marshall-Koons; Robin Lillie, a mother who lost her son to gun violence and Gainesville District 1 City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker. Faye Williams, the founder of M.A.M.A.'s Club, moderated the discussion.

The discussion began with Valerie Pelham, who works at a correctional facility, talking about how she hopes to inspire young men to take the right path in life and the importance of parents checking on their children physically and digitally.

“Go into the kids’ rooms, check their backpacks,” Pelham said, adding that more must be done to save this generation of young Black men.

“Young men did not give up their lives, it was taken from them,” she added. “We need to save young men from being bullied and losing their lives to prison. Once you go behind those walls, you lose your life and your family.”

Lillie was the first panelist to talk about how gun violence affected her life. She said her son died in 2019 in Delray Beach as a result of a domestic dispute with his girlfriend and another man.

“If you don’t like somebody, leave them alone,” Lillie said.

She also talked about how her oldest son’s father committed suicide in Fort Lauderdale.

“It’s hard because you have to tell it,” she said. “I was in a dark space. It has to be said because it is not letting up. Kids are still shooting kids and finding guns. It’s like getting a gun is like finding a water bottle.”

Goldsmith said she was shot by a man she rejected at the age of 17.

“I feel like I survived to be the voice to those who didn’t make it,” Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith also talked about the history behind the significance of wearing orange to raise gun violence awareness. According to wearorange.org, Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago in 2013. After the tragedy, Pendleton’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

“Gun violence is an epidemic that is currently plaguing our communities,” Goldsmith said. “Wearing an orange t-shirt, attending events — it all matters.”

Goldsmith urged those in attendance to write letters and make phone calls to legislators to enact more stringent gun safety laws.

“When we hear gunshots, it traumatizes all of us,” Goldsmith said. “We’re not anti-guns. We want safety and protection for our kids. We will be louder if we come together. I know it’s hard, but we’re committed.”

Harvey said she was shot five times by her ex-husband, and also talked about how she persevered after finding out her son was murdered by his friends because of jealousy.

“We let money rule us,” Harvey said. “We have to start thinking from a sound mind. We have to understand them and listen to what they are telling us.”

Harvey said that it is important to be honest with your children.

“You have to be firm and real with what you’re doing,” she said. “Explain to them what you’re doing instead of hiding it. That will teach them truthfulness.”

Marshall-Koons talked about her experience with gun violence when she was working at a news station and used to hear shootings over the scanner.

“We are at war, but it has not been declared,” Marshall-Koons said. “A school, a church, Walmart, a nail salon, driving down the street is no longer sacred. What happened in the United States of America that humans no longer matter?”

People need to boycott violent movies and music videos that glamorize and glorify violence, Marshall-Koons said.

“It desensitizes you about life and gun violence,” she said. “We’re being programmed by what we see, whether it be the news, movies or video games.”

“Rebuilding the Village” was the theme of Duncan-Walker's presentation. She said the top four things young people talk about when discussing gun violence are having places to go, things to do, jobs and mentorship.

“If we don’t have places to do the work, how can we do the work,” she said. “We must demand action and take action. We must stand up.”

Duncan-Walker said her family has been in the funeral business for 100 years, and that in the past few years, she has witnessed young Black males under the age of 18 dying like never before due to gun violence.

“It’s hard to give families peace when viewing the body of a child that died,” she said. “I lose sleep over that. I’m grateful to you who put me in office to address that.”

Duncan-Walker called on artists, poets and musicians to create a soundtrack that positively reflects Black culture to counteract the playing of drill music that promotes gun violence. Artists within drill music have been noted for their style of lyricism and association with crime in Chicago, according to several hip-hop music websites.

“There’s a disregard for human life,” Duncan-Walker said. “If we get back to a place of pride for who we are, then we can shift things.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Black Gainesville mothers and grandmothers discuss gun violence