This week, The Rocket Foundation once again partnered with The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) for the Fortune Impact Initiative at the St. Regis in Atlanta, GA. The event featured Turning Pain Into Purpose: A Conversation On Gun Violence, moderated by Fortune Magazine’s Executive Editor Kristin Stoller. The panel included OGVP Deputy Director Greg Jackson, the late Takeoff’s mother, Titania Davenport, and his grandmother Edna Maddox.
The conversation focused on the devastating loss of loved ones to gun violence and the ongoing mission to prevent others from facing similar tragedies. Davenport reflected on the pain of losing her son, Migos member Kirsnick Khari Ball, known as Takeoff, who was fatally shot on November 1, 2022. She emphasized the need to “grow and go” by turning grief into action.
The panel discussed the disparities between urban and rural approaches to gun violence prevention, particularly in the South, and called for a nationwide response to the crisis.
This marks the third collaboration between The Rocket Foundation and the White House OGVP, following their inaugural Rocket Foundation Summit on June 18th. Held at Atlanta’s Carter Center, the summit honored Takeoff’s legacy on his 30th birthday, bringing together 300 attendees, including gun violence prevention organizations, survivors, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, to discuss solutions to gun violence across the country.