Tuesday on First Coast Connect we spoke with Ron Davis, father of slain Jacksonville teen Jordan Davis, on the recent rash of children shot in Jacksonville and the renewed call for more gun control (01:15).
Angie Nixon with Party, Benefit & Jam (PB&J) told us about their upcoming Jam Sessions on major issues facing Jacksonville (27:20).
PS 27 Ventures’ Christine Lee McFaul spoke about their upcoming Female Founders Forum (38:00).
Director of Events and Programming with Friends of Hemming Park Christina Parrish Stone told us about this weekend’s Get Down(town) event at Hemming (46:00).
Ron Davis
Seven-year-old Tashawn Gallon was shot and killed Sunday night in Durkeeville. He was the fifth child shot in two weeks in Jacksonville and the first of those to die.
His shooting came on the heels of last week’s school shooting massacre in Parkland.
Under the rallying cry of #NeverAgain, dozens of students and staff who survived the Florida school shooting in Parkland will depart Tuesday for the state capital, where they hope to speak with lawmakers about school safety and gun reform.
Ron Davis is the father of Jordan Davis, who was shot and killed by Michael Dunn in November of 2012 after an argument over loud music at a Southside gas station.
Davis and his ex-wife and mother of Jordan, Lucia McBath, have since championed the fight against gun violence.
Jam Sessions
A series of talks on disparities in the community are taking place this year at the Jessie Ball duPont Center in downtown Jacksonville.
PB&J is partnering with the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida on these events called Jam Sessions. The series will discuss the disparities in our community through four lenses:
- Feb. 21: Race
- May 10: Women
- July 19: Immigrants
- October 18: Children
Female Founders Forum
Women looking to start or grow businesses this year might want to mark their calendars for the Female Founders Forum.
The event focused on empowering a network of female entrepreneurs is held every year on International Women’s Day.
PS 27 Ventures will bring successful women role models together with early-stage female founders so they can share secrets of success and hopefully form business relationships and friendships.
The forum will be held March 8 at the UNF University Center.
Get Down(town)
Get Down(town), a celebration of African-American culture, is taking over Hemming Park this Saturday from noon to 8:30 p.m. in connection with Black History Month.
Katz Downstairz will be headlining, and a number of activities will be offered throughout the day, including double dutch and step dancing.
Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
