MIAMI — In advance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson will seek to honor the legacy of the civil rights hero and champion of nonviolence by leading a session to explore solutions to the region’s epidemic of gun violence and other violent crime.
The Congresswoman will be joined by actor Charles “Roc” Dutton from the hit TV series Roc, actress JoMarie Payton from the hit TV series Family Matters, and international recording artist Betty Wright, whose 21-year-old son Patrick Parker was killed by gun violence.
The parents of several other victims of violent crime – including 12 year old Tequila Forshee, and 26 year old Eviton Brown – will participate in the discussion.
She, in conjunction with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department and local activists, will hold the forum 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19, Joseph Caleb Auditorium, 5400 NW 22nd Ave., Miami. In 1994 Wilson, then a Miami-Dade County School board member, held a similar community-wide MLK nonviolence program. Dutton, who dropped out of middle school and served prison time before turning his life around, was the guest speaker. At that time, South Florida was also experiencing escalating violent crime and increasing murders and arrests of young black males.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Community-wide MLK nonviolence forum
WHO: Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project and the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 19, 3 p.m.
WHERE : Joseph Caleb Auditorium, 5400 NW 22nd Ave., Miami
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