LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — On a Saturday afternoon, community members gathered for the event "100 Black Men of Lexington United." Devine Carama, director of One Lexington, emphasized the importance of Black men being actively involved in the community while showing the impact that gun violence has on individuals and families.
Carama aims to provide a safe space for those left behind, personally understanding the pain of losing a child.
“Maybe not losing a child to gun violence, but losing a child, I understand that pain and that trauma," he said. "I'm always looking for ways to create a space where survivors can speak to the community.”
While Carama typically addresses gun violence occurring throughout the city, on this occasion, he handed over the microphone to mothers who have lost children to gun violence. This allowed them to share their experiences and shed light on their grief.
One mother, Deana Mullins, recounted her harrowing story.
“It was all over. Someone sold this kid an iPhone for 50 bucks, and my son lost his life over 50 bucks that he had no part in," Mullins said.
She tragically lost her son and best friend, Sean Howard, in August 2017.
“He was a character. He was a good kid," Mullins said.He always wanted the best for people.”
For the past 2,700 days, Mullins has confronted the pain of losing her son every single day.
“This is reality. This is our life," she said. "Every minute when I wake up, for the first five minutes, I don’t remember that Sean is gone. But then after five minutes, it hits me. I'm living my life without my middle son, and this is every day.”
As each speaker shared their truths, Carama hopes that their stories will ignite change and encourage young men to get involved in the community
“We are trying to engage the community to address this issue," he said. "It's our responsibility to remove barriers so that they can do what they need to do to self-govern and support one another. We want to foster the village mentality that we used to have in Lexington. We hope events like this can help bring back that village feeling.”
