It’s no secret that gun violence hits Wards 7 and 8 hardest in our city, and that your District’s youth has been hit hard. Although we live with the constant reminder that DC can be a violent city, when we don’t put a name to the face of loss, it’s easy to live in denial. This is why Pathways 2 Power, a student-let advocacy group that started at Thurgood Marshall Academy High School in Ward 8 wants to bring the faces of those who will never get to live to their potential to stare at us right in the face as a powerful and moving reminder.
Student Lauren Renford, who lost her boyfriend Zaire Kelly to gun violence, is the co-founder of Pathways 2 Power and a driving and artistic force behind the mural. Zaire is one of five young people memorialized on the wall of The Fridge, 516 1/2 8th Street SE, rear alley. The other victims of local gun violence are Paris Brown, Steve Slaughter, Jamhari Snydor and Tayania Thompson. The mural will be finished by local painter Martin Swift.
The community is invited to the unveiling of the mural this Friday, August 9, from 5-7 p.m. You can get more information and RSVP via the unveiling’s Eventbrite, which you can find here.
From the press release, what you need to know:
WHAT: Limestone of Lost Legacies Mural Unveiling and Dedication
WHEN: Friday, August 9, 2019, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Fridge, 516 8th Street SE, Rear Alley, Washington, DC 20003
WHO: Pathways 2 Power students; families of the slain teens; elected officials including Attorney General Karl Racine, At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, Ward 8 School Board Rep. Markus Batchelor, Ward 6 School Board Rep. Jessica Sutter, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, and more.