Hadiya Pendleton, the happy 15-year-old who was shot dead in Chicago just days after performing at President Obama’s Inauguration, was no stranger to gang violence.
She lived in Chicago. She knew the horrors. And she wanted to do something about it.
A public service announcement that Hadiya made as a sixth-grader has surfaced, adding more heartbreak and irony to an already tragic story.
Hadiya, in a high-pitched voice, introduces herself and denounces gang violence.
The video, she said, was an “informational for you and your future children.”
Then, as the video cuts to an image of a boy slouched in a stairwell pretending to be injured, one of Hadiya’s classmates does a voiceover: “So many children in the world have died in gang violence … from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The literacy program that helped Hadiya produce the PSA reposted the video and a statement regarding her untimely death.
The Digital Youth Network said:
“Hadiya shined her light on us here at the Digital Youth Network as a student, a learner and a creative voice.… Hadiya and her peers produced this PSA as a part of a project that sought to counter violence through youth produced media.”
Police are still searching for Hadiya’s shooter, who mistook her and friends for gang members, according to authorities.
Chicago police announced plans Thursday to move 200 officers from administrative desk jobs to patrols on the city streets.
We continue to pray for Hadiya’s family. We hope justice is served.
SOURCE: LA Times
