An interfaith prayer vigil to help end gun violence took place Saturday at Wildwood City Hall.
This event took place after the recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where students and two educators lost their lives.
In the United States, there have been 214 mass shootings 2022 thus far, despite not even being halfway through the year.
Katina Stephens, a speaker at this gathering, said that there have been more mass shootings than days that we have lived this year, of which people need to be aware.
“They need to see the unity for this one cause and there has to be an end to this gun violence,” she said. “It’s not a me movement, it’s a justice for all movement.”
The main speaker, retired United Church of Christ Pastor Drew Willard said that he wanted the event to have a spiritual and moral approach so that we can think and pray on the recent occurrences.
He sees this as “an act of defiance against the fear that there’s nothing we can do about it, we affirm that there is always something we can do and how we live in the situation even if it’s an oppressive situation.”
Cozette Sessler, another speaker, had more to say on this gathering.
She says that the outcome of this type of gathering can lead to awareness for our community and society on what needs to be done. “If we can only get a few youths to say, ‘Hey enough is enough’ and they go tell another one enough is enough, all it does is build momentum and awareness that violence is not what we want and it’s not what we need.”
She said is is imperative to speak up.
“We have a voice, and we need to make sure everyone knows enough is enough,” Sessler said.
