By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Jazmyne Rice’s private battle against gun violence went public on Friday.
Four years ago, Rice lost her best friend to gun violence. The two were in high school in Cleveland – planning for college and their lives ahead.
Shaylona Williams, 17, had big dreams.
“She wanted to be a nurse, and she loved to bake,” Rice said of her friend. But one day when Williams went to her boyfriend’s home, another high school student came to the house.
“He just came in shooting everybody in the house,” Rice said. He killed Williams, her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s parents.
Since then, Rice – a junior majoring in psychology at BGSU – has waged a private battle against gun violence. She started making homemade peanut butter cups. With each one, she puts in a note saying “stop gun violence. Labeling them with the Instagram “in.lovingmemory_” Rice sold them.
Twenty percent of the sales goes to the families of gun violence victims. It’s not much, she said, but it’s a small step in the right direction.
Rice took another step last week when she organized a “Stop the Violence” gathering at Wooster Green to honor victims of violent crimes.
“I am using my voice,” she said. “I wanted an opportunity to use what God had given me.”
And she invited others to share their gifts – of singing, poetry, photography, blacksmithing, and sharing stories.
Rice talked about the need for community conversations about gun violence.
“We’re all vulnerable to it,” she said. “It could happen anywhere, at anytime. Just because it hasn’t happened here yet, doesn’t mean it won’t.”
Rice is hoping that the word spreads, and people in power listen.
“The word needs to get to authoritative figures,” she said.
In addition to several musical performances, art was also displayed on Wooster Green. Joel Shenk, pastor of Toledo Mennonite Church, uses blacksmithing to reforge guns into garden tools and community sculptures.
One sculpture, called “The Harvester,” puts old guns to work to create a farmer tending his crops. Long guns make up the farmer and his tools, while handguns are used to represent short crops just coming out of the soil.
Pamela Short, pastor at Tontogany Presbyterian Church, said the sculpture reflects the scripture of turning weapons into plowshares.
Another display showed the photography of Spencer Cunningham, showing images taken at a festival in Kansas where all guns are allowed. The images show festive fair scenes, with people openly carrying a variety of firearms next to children.
Friday’s event allowed people to share their stories about gun violence, and their ideas for how to lessen the incidents.
“This event isn’t supposed to be all sad,” Rice said. “I wanted to create this event to shine a light on a dark situation.”
