Kamala Harris meets Quavo in Atlanta to talk gun violence, headline Juneteenth party
ATLANTA - Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Atlanta on Tuesday to meet with Migos rapper Quavo on her fifth trip to Georgia this year.
The vice president joined the Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist for a moderated conversation at the first-ever Rocket Foundation Summit that took place at The Carter Center on what would have been Takeoff's 30th birthday.
The summit honored Quavo's former Migos group member and nephew, Kirsnick "Takeoff" Khari Ball, who was killed in a shooting at a Houston bowling alley in 2022. The summit also paid homage to the countless victims of gun violence in an effort to make Atlanta a model for gun violence reduction.
This followed a September conversation at the White House where the Vice President and Quavo discussed ways to advance commonsense gun safety policies.
Quavo against gun-violence
Atlanta Rapper Quavo has continuously put his support behind community-based anti-gun violence programs after the killing of his nephew and fellow group member, Takeoff, in 2022.
That November, he founded The Rocket Foundation to honor Takeoff's life and legacy.
"When I saw him laying there, it was like me laying there, so I wanted to do something to honor his legacy. That's why we are here," Quavo told an audience at the 2024 Rocket Foundation Summit in Atlanta Tuesday.
The Atlanta rapper was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and others to fight gun violence plaguing communities nationwide.
The organization partners with non-profits working on grassroots solutions to end gun violence.
Survivors of gun violence, gun safety advocates, students and parents gathered at the Carter Center for the event.
Almost all those in attendance lost someone to gun violence.
The Vice President thanked Quavo for his work saying, "What you are doing is extraordinary."
Why is Kamala Harris in Atlanta again?
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris gives remarks on conflict-related sexual violence at an event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on June 17, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Harris leads the Biden Administration's work to address the epidemic of gun violence while overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
The vice president will also headline a Juneteenth Block Party in the city and launch the opening of a new office for the Biden-Harris Campaign.
Kamala Harris's previous visit to Georgia
Harris last visited Atlanta just a few days prior, participating in a moderated conversation at the 38th annual conference for 100 Black Men of America, last Friday at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
Harris took part in a moderated discussion on economic development during the event - detailing how the Biden-Harris administration has built economic opportunity, supported communities, and delivered historic investments for the American people during their first term in office.
With recent polls showing former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in the Peach State, Democrats are campaigning heavily in the battleground state to energize their base, as Republicans work to grow support among Black voters.
Since being sworn in as vice president, Harris has made 13 previous trips to Georgia.