NASHVILLE, TN — The community is invited to join Nashville physicians, medical students, first responders and other residents Saturday, Sept. 12, for a National Walk for Peace aimed at preventing gun violence and promoting safer communities.
Nashville is one of at least nine cities participating in the National NMA/POP 5K Walk for Peace, a multi-city public health initiative led by Project Outreach & Prevention on Youth Violence and the National Medical Association’s Violence Prevention Council.
The Nashville event will be held at Meharry Medical College and will include a 5K race and a 2-mile walk. Similar events are planned in eight other cities. The effort emphasizes violence prevention, health equity, youth empowerment and community unity. Dr. Brandi Freeman, president of the National Medical Association, will be in Nashville to participate in the event. Dr. Michael McGee, chair of the NMA Violence Prevention Council and national leader of the 5K for Peace initiative, will also participate.
Organizers say the national initiative is designed to promote public health, strengthen community connections, support healing and mobilize collective action to prevent violence. The Nashville event comes as firearm violence continues to have a significant impact on children and families. Firearm injuries have surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Tennessee’s firearm death rate also exceeds the national average, while Black children and adolescents are disproportionately affected by firearm deaths and injuries.
For Meharry, the issue also has a local dimension. Physicians and medical students see the effects of violence in clinical settings and in communities surrounding the historically Black medical institution’s North Nashville campus.
The national effort brings together health care professionals, public safety personnel, young people and community residents around the idea that violence prevention requires participation across sectors. Organizers hope the simultaneous walks will increase awareness while encouraging communities to become actively involved in creating safer neighborhoods.
The National Walk for Peace is led by POP on Youth Violence and the National Medical Association’s Violence Prevention Council in partnership with local NMA societies across the country. National partners include the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Sandy Hook Promise and Cities United.
In Nashville, Meharry Medical College and Nashville General Hospital are among the organizations supporting the event. Physicians, nurses, medical students, emergency medical personnel, law enforcement officers, families and community members are encouraged to participate.
The event is free. Check-in begins at 5:45 p.m. Saturday at the Meharry Medical College Library. The opening ceremony begins at 6:15 p.m., with both the 5K race and 2-mile walk beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event is scheduled to conclude at 8 p.m. Participation is open to the public.
To register, visit https://forms.gle/DkAxrm8cVod9j3eD7 or by scanning the QR code below.
For additional information, please contact: Ms. Cynthia Anderson at cynthia.anderson@mmc.edu or by phone 615-237-6860.
