On Tuesday, May 23, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Chairwoman of the Caucus on the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, will host a Congressional briefing and panel discussion on gun violence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gun violence has risen as the leading cause of death for children in America.
For decades, gun violence has taken a disproportionate and grueling toll on Black communities—leading to tens of thousands of gun deaths and injuries. The impact of gun violence on this community is particularly devastating for young Black men.
In 2023 alone, there have been over 200 mass shootings, leaving approximately 800 victims injured and nearly 300 people dead. Despite these staggering numbers, mass shootings account for only a fraction of U.S. gun violence.
Congresswoman Wilson will lead a conversation on gun violence in America.
She will be joined by a panel of experts, lawmakers, public health officials, non-profit organizations, and front-line practitioners such as Congresswoman Lucy McBath (GA-7), the Giffords Foundation, Tracy Martin, and father of Trayvon Martin.
She will also be joined by Dr. Joseph Richardson, a gun-violence public health researcher at the University of Maryland, and Leroy Jones of the Circle of Brotherhood, moderated by Dr. Roger Mitchell, a former Chief Medical Examiner of the D.C. and Chair of the Howard University College of Medicine Department of Pathology.
The panelists will highlight the impacts of the gun violence epidemic on communities, including Black males, and work to address this existential threat that has spread across the country.
The panel will also examine gun violence trends and successful policy interventions to recommend policy strategies to ease gun violence across groups while making communities safer.
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