It wasn’t easy to pick herself up after her son, Aaron Prayer, was shot and killed on June 4, 2018, but Skyla Pawnell managed to claw and scratch herself forward.
And she has been on a mission to get the guns off the streets.
Pawnelll hosted the “Wear Orange National Gun Violence Awareness” event in East St. Louis Saturday to bring light to the suffering of families in the aftermath of “senseless” killing.
Those who participated came from Illinois and Missouri and from Black and white families. Some have seen their loved ones’ killers put away while others are still awaiting justice.
What united them is grief.
They wore orange in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old from Chicago who was fatally shot in Kenwood in 2013. Friends and family choose the color as their symbol because it’s hunters wear it to protect themselves and signal to others “don’t shoot,” according to the Wear Orange website.
Pawnell said it doesn’t matter where you live, what color you are, whether you are a young or older parent, the pain and agony caused by gun violence is all the same.
“It’s like I can’t catch a break in my life, for real,” she said. “Each time I hear about somebody losing their child to violence, I can relate to their pain and agony.
“Everyday somebody is getting shot. Enough is enough.”
Saturday’s four-hour event included speeches from city officials and citizens as well as victims’ families. A panel was assembled to talk about the violence and address what they believe needs to be done to make it stop.
“I don’t see an end to gun violence. As long as they sell guns, there will be some gun violence. We can slow it down,” said community activist Terry “T-Baby”Jenkins.
Pawnell wants the law enforcement officials to find and arrest these people. She wants the court system to levy the stiffest punishments allowed by law.
“What I personally have been going through has been hard. If my son was here, I don’t think it would be as hard for me,” she said.
Pawnell wants the law enforcement officials to find and arrest these people. She wants the court system to levy the stiffest punishments allowed by law.
“What I personally have been going through has been hard. If my son was here, I don’t think it would be as hard for me,” she said.
No matter how heavy the weight of losing her son was adding to life’s everyday stresses, Pawnell said she knew she had to keep Prayer’s memory alive. She got involved with other moms and dads, listened to their stories and formed a bond so they could all work to educate others about gun violence.
The mission and the crusade was born of their collective grief. Saturday’s event was both a memorial for those they lost and a celebration of those who survive, she said.
“We’ve got to show our kids something different. We have to provide different avenues, reframe their minds, and reconstruct their thoughts,” Pawnell said.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Carolyn P. Smith is a reporter for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
