{"id":54755,"date":"2017-03-07T13:34:45","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T19:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=54755"},"modified":"2017-03-09T18:05:51","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T00:05:51","slug":"empire-cast-spotlights-gun-violence-in-celebrity-basketball-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/empire-cast-spotlights-gun-violence-in-celebrity-basketball-game\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Empire\u2019 Cast spotlights Gun Violence In Celebrity Basketball Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kaylah Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ta\u2019Rhonda Jones, who appears as Porsha Taylor in the television series \u201cEmpire,\u201d is not only an actress but a Chicago native and a Simeon alumna. She has made it a personal goal to lower the gun violence rates in her home city by hosting events such as the \u201cGame On to Prevent Gun Violence\u201d community basketball game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to get everyone involved especially the community to get these bad gun dealers off the streets,\u201d said Jones who hosted\u00a0 Saturday\u2019s event, which featured the high-energy style of 14-year-old musician DJ Young 1. \u201c I went here. I want to get the community together to have fun and go back because this is my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jones joined Taraji P. Henson, Jussie Smollett, Gabourey Sidibie and other cast members who drew more than 1,000 students and families to the South Side for a basketball game featuring the Empire Casts, to raise awareness about the rates of gun violence in Chicago and inspire community building in the areas most affected.<\/p>\n

For communities in Chicago, the common rhetoric in the media surrounding the gun violence is a narrative that applies to other metropolitan cities and contrary to some beliefs, individuals are taking measures to change dangerous environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though there are issues that we see, it\u2019s not just here in Chicago\u2014it\u2019s everywhere. It\u2019s events like this and other things that are going to help continue to put a better light on Chicago and to see that we are good people and we can do things to change the world,\u201d said Victoria Brownlee, who works with inner-city youth.<\/p>\n

In 1984, Ben Wilson, affectionately known as \u201cBenji,\u201d was an All-star basketball player who led Simeon to its first state championship and was once named the No.1 high school basketball player in the nation. That same year, Wilson was shot and killed while walking on Vincennes Avenue near the school.<\/p>\n

Wilson\u2019s story is not unfamiliar to many Chicago families who have been victims of gun violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the most important work that we can be doing, just making sure that the people that are directly closest to the pain and closest to the impact of gun violence are actually leading this effort, said Amber Goodwin, founder of Community Justice Reform Coalition, a national advocacy organization. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a lack of funding for evidence-based and data-informed research and implementation of strategies like cease-fire strategies.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike hospital-based interventions. I would go as far to say that people in Chicago should be demanding that we fully fund these strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for some families,\u2019 gun violence intervention solutions don\u2019t start with local government and advocacy agencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for the children because they need to see a different side of the community and what can happen when you stay focused and do what you\u2019re supposed to do\u2014you\u2019re not gonna get everyone to do the right thing but you can make choices,\u201d said Jennie Smith, 65, whose granddaughter is a cheerleader for Simeon. \u201cI was a single parent. I did it. My children are successful and employed\u2014its starts at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taraji P. Henson appears courtside with Jussie Smollett and Dan Gross, the president of the Brady Campaign, at the “Game On to Prevent Gun Violence” event, which was supported by organizations such the Brady Center and St. Sabina Church. (Photo courtesy of Brady Campaign)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kaylah Jackson Ta\u2019Rhonda Jones, who appears as Porsha Taylor in the television series \u201cEmpire,\u201d is not only an actress but a Chicago native and a Simeon alumna. She has made it a personal goal to lower the gun violence rates in her home city by hosting events such as the \u201cGame On to Prevent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":54770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3516],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2017"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Empire\u2019 Cast spotlights Gun Violence In Celebrity Basketball Game - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/empire-cast-spotlights-gun-violence-in-celebrity-basketball-game\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Empire\u2019 Cast spotlights Gun Violence In Celebrity Basketball Game - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Kaylah Jackson Ta\u2019Rhonda Jones, who appears as Porsha Taylor in the television series \u201cEmpire,\u201d is not only an actress but a Chicago native and a Simeon alumna. 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