Quavo and Kamala Harris to Discuss Gun Violence, Honor Takeoff at First Rocket Foundation Summit
Quavo will honor his late nephew and Migos bandmate Takeoff, and other victims of gun violence, at a special event in Atlanta with Vice President Kamala Harris.
The inaugural Rocket Foundation Summit will take place June 18, on what would’ve been Takeoff’s 30th birthday, Variety reports. Quavo and Harris will speak with each other about the best ways to end gun violence during a fireside chat moderated by Greg Jackson, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
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The summit will also feature two panels addressing various facets of gun violence and prevention: one on community violence intervention will be led by Community Justice Action Fund, LIVE FREE, and Cities United; the other, on investing in youth programs as a way of reducing gun violence, will be led by Youth Over Guns, Offenders Alumni Association, and H.O.P.E. Hustlers. The summit will also offer survivors and the families of victims the opportunity to speak with each other about these issues, while the day will end with a special tribute to Takeoff featuring local and state officials.
Quavo and his family founded the Rocket Foundation in Takeoff’s honor after he was fatally shot in Houston in November 2022 (the organization has already distributed millions of dollars to organizations focused on gun prevention and criminal justice reform). Last September, Quavo, his mother Edna Maddox, and sister Titania Davenport visited Washington D.C. to discuss these issues with Harris and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Rolling Stone tagged along for part of the day, and asked Quavo how he felt taking on this responsibility while still grieving: “I’m good. I feel like I’m not alone,” he said. “I feel like we got a lot of good weapons behind us to help fight so it don’t happen to nobody else again. We can’t rewind the time. Right now I’m trying to let time heal, and help protect [people] while the clock keep going. That’s all I can do [to] hopefully make a change.”
He added: “That’s something that we’ve been standing on. I feel like we always participate in the movement. Right now it just hit home for me, so I got to go extra hard.”
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