MIAMI (WSVN) - Students from across South Florida came together for a summit aimed at keeping schools safe, as local leaders addressed concerns in the hopes of bringing about change in the fight against gun violence.
Hundreds of Miami-Dade and Broward students packed an auditorium at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus on Saturday.
Attendees listened to speakers who discussed the hot-button issue that, to many of them, hits close to home.
“It was just a topic that’s needed in this community. It’s needed to have with our young people,” said organizer Tracy Wilson Mourning.
The Mourning Family Foundation partnered with the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP to make the event happen. It is one of several summits the foundation holds each year.
“We’re not talking about just somebody else’s kids. We’re talking about the next generation of Americans,” said Alonzo Mourning.
@MourningFamily Youth Summit Guest Speaker Real Life Super Hero- “Waffle House Hero”@JamesShawJr9 #endgunviolence #mentorship #mentoring #MTL pic.twitter.com/Zvuc1kcU3r
— MTLBCPS (@MTLBCPS1) August 25, 2018
One of the speakers at the summit, James Shaw Jr., was hailed a hero back in April for prying the gun away from a shooter at a Waffle House in Nashville. He shared his story and also a message.
“It’s been very overwhelming. My life has changed just overnight, literally,” he said. “I’m just trying to put it together and take it day by day. [My experience] might inspire to help everybody come together and work together.”
The summit’s goal is not only to spark discussion about the sobering subject, but make real changes moving forward.
“They have a perspective sometimes that we don’t have, but by doing forums like this and getting input from our students, it helps us to make more informed decisions,” said Dr. Rosalind Osgood, a member of the Broward School Board.
“I think the ultimate goal is to let others know and let the kids know that you’re not alone in this,” said Tracy Wilson Mourning, “and, again, you have a voice in this, and you can’t just sit back and wait for someone else to be that change that you wish to see in the world.”
The next Mourning Family Foundation summit is scheduled for January 2019.
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