Teens who are out to change the world ~ Series 2

RaSia Khepra campaigns against gun violence in Chicago. – YouTube

 

College freshman RaSia Khepra had always wanted to address the rampant violence plaguing his home city of Chicago – where more than 500 people were killed by guns in 2012 – but the death of his close friend is what motivated him to act.

Hadiya Pendleton, 15, was killed at random by a gunman on Chicago’s South Side, a week after she performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration celebration in January. Khepra was familiar with the sounds of gunfire in his neighbourhood and knew several people who had been shot, but Pendleton’s death inspired him to act.

“I don’t think having somebody that close to you can ever leave your mind if they’ve been taken in such a way,” Khepra told the Huffington Post. “I do, definitely, think about her every day because I’m used to seeing her every day.”

Khepra and other Chicago teenagers created the anti-violence awareness campaign Project Orange Tree, which helps co-ordinate community activities to stimulate a conversation about the causes of gun violence and is supported by the rapper Lupe Fiasco.

Khepra said gun violence was often written off as a gang problem, but the issue also affected members of the community not affiliated with gangs. “I don’t think a lot of the violence that’s being labelled gang-related violence is as prevalent as it’s being hyped up to be,” he said.