LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Thursday's Walk a Mile in Our Shoes event inside Lexington's Lyric Theatre at 5:30 p.m. is for those people who have lost a child, or a loved one, to gun violence.
“I think the families that come to an event like this walk away feeling a little better knowing they're not alone in this journey. We're all together, and it’s a safe space,” said Ricardo Franklin.
Ricardo’s brother, Antonio, was shot and killed in Lexington nearly 10 years ago. His mother, Anita, who has since passed away, became a champion of anti-gun violence causes and campaigns in the city, also working with the Sheriff’s Office as a Community Outreach Coordinator.
“I was a teenager, so I didn’t really know how to handle emotions that were so heavy. I leaned on my mom, and my mom leaned on me,” he said. “I know there's some parents, grandparents, siblings that are struggling right now, so if they're able to see this, to reach out to us, let us know how we can help."
Ricardo said he leaned on sports as a kid to cope with the grief of losing his brother. His mother had her position with the Sheriff’s office, and the job of raising Ricardo to keep her mind occupied. Ricardo knows that not everyone has an outlet to cope with the pain in a positive way.
Thursday’s event isn’t a walk, like their Peace Walk in April, this is simply a gathering to form some new relationships, or to strengthen the old ones.
“We bring our loved one’s memorabilia; pictures, items near and precious to us, and put them on display and talk,” Franklin explained.
“It’s a real low-scale event, but it’s one that I want to be uplifting. I know it’s about losing somebody, but I want us to walk away from these events feeling uplifted and motivated to get out into our neighborhoods and make an impact,” Franklin stated.
