Quavo, who lost his nephew and fellow Migos member Takeoff to gun violence last year, is turning his grief into action.
The Grammy-nominated rapper and philanthropist joined forces with the Community Justice Action Fund to meet with members of Congress in Washington, DC on Wednesday for a panel discussion on gun violence prevention.
Led by Georgia Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, the panel discussed effective community intervention strategies as well as gun violence in Quavo’s native Georgia and the power of art and culture in anti-gun violence advocacy.
“Music is storytelling and no one can tell my story better than me. For me and my family, the fight against gun violence is personal and not something we are going to forget,” Quavo said in a statement to CNN. “We are coming to DC, bringing the voices of millions of families with us that have been hurt by this kind of violence.”
The artist was devastated by the death of Takeoff, who was shot and killed last November outside of a private party the pair was attending in Houston, Texas. Takeoff was 28 at the time of his death.
Takeoff’s mother accompanied Quavo along with Quavo’s mother to the nation’s capital for the event.
In the wake of his beloved nephew and fellow group member’s death, Quavo has become a staunch advocate for gun violence prevention, which includes starting the Rocket Foundation.
“The Rocket Foundation is linking up with Community Justice and our nation’s leaders during the ALC (Annual Legislative Conference) to talk about what we need from policymakers to build safer futures for our communities,” Quavo said. “Together, with solutions that come straight from my heart and our neighborhoods, we can tackle this violence head-on and save lives.”