ROANOKE, Va. – June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month, and dozens of families have felt the effects of gun violence.
This is why FEDUP held the “They Had a Dream” Memorial Walk on the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Bridge in Downtown Roanoke, invoking Dr. King’s words while remembering those whose lives were lost to gun violence.
The walk began with prayer and a song before dozens of attendees began the walk over the bridge. The bridge was dotted with banners, showing pictures of loved ones who lost their lives to gun violence.
Some banners even had personalized mementos, such as flowers, stuffed animals, candles and sporting gear. A nearby church bell rang 80 times as well - each chime representing a banner on the bridge.
“I’m here on behalf of my baby brother. His name is Jamie LaVar Penn Sr.; he was killed in 2005, and my father, Jimmy Lee Penn Sr., a landlord on his own property,” FEDUP Co-Founder Renea Taylor said. “That just goes to show that it can happen to anybody at any time, was shot and killed in 1998.”
The ultimate goal of the walk? Bring an end to gun violence and ensure that those who were lost will never be forgotten.
“It’s still somebody’s loved one, and they all have names,” FEDUP President Rita Joyce said. “That’s what we want the public and everybody to resonate with, that they had names, they had families, they left children behind, and they need to be remembered forever in our hearts.”
On Saturday morning at 11:00, a memorial service will be held at Refreshing Church to honor the lives of those who have lost their lives to gun violence.