18 October 2023: Worthing Excessive College college students signal pledges towards gun violence. (Credit score: Jimmie Aggison/Houston Defender)
On Wednesday I visited Evan E. Worthing Excessive College the place college students took a pledge towards gun violence. College students got wristbands and took footage for social media to tell others about their stand.
“Our purpose is to get as many college students as doable to take the pledge towards gun violence,” stated Toni Cormier, founding father of A Papa’s Hand, in addition to the Texas State lead for Voices of Black Moms United.
Cormier misplaced her son, Jeremy Johnson, final 12 months to gun violence and noticed the necessity for enchancment within the metropolis the place many younger women and men run to weapons slightly than different measures to deal with disputes.
“The Sunnyside space of Houston is the primary space for gun violence, in order a father or mother I got here right here and requested to have this specific highschool take part,” stated Cormier. “To my data, there hasn’t been every other college within the Houston space to take this pledge. We figured this can be a nice approach to kick off the pledge for the Metropolis of Houston by having the highschool in that space of highest gun violence crime to take the pledge.”
The pledge was greater than a promise to chorus from selecting up a gun and utilizing it in a violent manner, however specializing in one other approach to cope with their anger and frustration when confronted with a tough state of affairs.
“The largest factor is our children don’t know the best way to articulate themselves and use their phrases to precise their feelings so that they sometimes bounce to violence,” stated Worthing principal Alexandria Gregoire. “I’m hoping at the moment they hear and so they discuss how dangerous gun violence has been to our communities and take into consideration completely different ways in which they will, positively categorical themselves.”
