Quavo Joined by Vice President Kamala Harris at Anti-Gun Violence Event Declaring ‘Takeoff Day’ in Atlanta

variety.com:

Shaheem Reid Quavo was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at an event Tuesday declaring “Takeoff Day” in the city, in honor of the rapper’s nephew and bandmate in Migos, who was shot to death in 2022 during an altercation in which police said he was an “innocent bystander.” The event, which featured panel discussions about gun-violence prevention and a talk between Harris and Quavo, was held on what would have been Takeoff’s 30 th birthday.

It was the inaugural Rocket Foundation Summit, named after Quavo’s foundation and held at the Carter Center in Atlanta. In the months after Takeoff’s death, Quavo began discussions about gun violence, particularly among the Black population, with community leaders, activists and Mayor Dickens as well as White House officials and the vice president.

The two first met and issued a statement on the issue last summer. “We just want to say thank y’all for coming here and being part of such a special day for me and my family,” Quavo said. “I know there’s people in this room that share the same experience as survivor.

It’s challenging. This experience, this type of trauma — I just hope I’m inspiring everyone in this room. Our communities, my family, your family, no family should have to suffer from this.