Community Corner
City Of Louisville To Host 502Con, Inaugural Virtual Violence Prevention Conference
A new virtual conference has been announced for Louisville youth, focused on violence prevention.
May 21, 2020
In partnership with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, the Metro Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and the Youth Violence Prevention Research Center (YVPRC), local youth leaders Imani Smith, Jailen Leavell and Ahmaad Edmund today announced a new virtual conference for Louisville youth, focused on violence prevention.
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The conference, 502Con, is scheduled from 2-6:30 p.m. this Saturday, May 23, 2020. It has been created and will be led by local youth, and is inspired after the national conference YARD CON, a digital conference for black students presented by Watch The Yard. Individuals aged 13-30 years are encouraged to participate, although anyone can join in this inaugural event.
“Our hope is for 502Con to raise public awareness surrounding the issues of violence in the city by bringing together youth from all neighborhoods to discuss the crucial problems and root causes that lead to violence of all types across all demographics,” said Imani Smith, a member of the Mayor’s Youth Implementation Team.
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Mayor Fischer praised the team “for stepping up during these challenging times to discuss violence prevention, education, arts and development in our city.”
The Mayor will be joining the conference at 2:15 p.m. along with the city’s Chief of Community Building, Vincent James.
In addition to members of the Mayor’s Youth Implementation Team, other featured speakers include:
- Maryam Ahmed, Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods
- AMPED, local music group
- Jecorey “1200” Arthur, Metro Council District 4 candidate
- State Representative Charles Booker, U.S. Senate candidate
- Quaniqua Carthan, Director of Programming and Planning, Cities United
- Dr. Kevin Cosby, President, Simmons College of Kentucky
- Dasia, local music artist
- Chase Dean, local music artist
- Metro Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey, District 3
- Dawne Gee, WAVE3
- Makya Griffin, local music artist
- Major Josh Hasch, Louisville Metro Police Department
- Elder Bryant Jackson, Bible Way Church of God in Christ
- Trinidad Jackson, Senior Researcher, UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences
- Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio, Jefferson County Public Schools
- Diane Porter, District 1, Jefferson County Public Schools
- Rashaad Abdur-Rahman, Executive Advisor, Kentucky Department of Behavioral Health
- State Representative Josie Raymond
- State Representative Attica Scott
- Taris Smith, graphic designer and photographer
- Terrell Williams, CEO, RELL Speaks
- Nicole Yates, District Director, Congressman John Yarmuth’s office
The featured keynote speaker will be announced on social media later today.
While the fundamental focus of the conference is violence prevention among youth – as the city was not able to host any in-person National Youth Violence Prevention Week events due to the COVID-19 pandemic – other topics like education, local and state politics, the U.S. Census, economic development, arts and networking will be discussed.
502Con will be hosted on the online event platform Hopin.
The virtual event is free, but registration is required. To register, visit: https://hopin.to/events/502con?fbclid=IwAR0D6tmX8BcMEFyDh5rzHSP7sMlHA5Et...
Media must also register to join the event.
About Ahmaad J. Edmund:
Ahmaad J. Edmund is a licensed minister, inspirational speaker and social activist. He is a rising senior at Hampton University of Hampton, Virginia, where he studies Political Science and Leadership Studies. Upon returning home, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he joined the 502Con Team and other community initiatives.
About Jailen Leavell:
Jailen Leavell is dedicated to social justice, community service, and equality. He is currently a rising senior at Tennessee State University studying Broadcast Journalism. In 2018, he was selected as the Tennessee State University White House Initiative Competitiveness Scholar. His focus was to promote HBCU excellence, innovation, and sustainability. While home in Louisville, Leavell has joined the 502Con Team.
About Imani Smith:
Imani Smith has been an active member of the Mayor’s Youth Implementation Team since 2018. She is a first-year at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky where she studies Political Science. Smith is also an alum of the 2018 American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation Program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she collaborated with several youth leaders in Louisville to produce 502Con to promote violence prevention in Louisville.
This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
