ST. LOUIS — Breaking stigmas, disarming trauma and uplifting Black and brown men.
That's what was taking place for the 4th annual Black SON Day event on Sunday at Westport Plaza.
This year, George Floyd's uncle, Selwyn Jones, joined in on the conversation.
"The reason why I'm here is because somebody got murdered, and the reason why I'm continuously going to be here is because people die every day, because of misfortune incidents," he said.
It's been three years since George Floyd was tragically murdered in Minneapolis.
For Jones, it's an anniversary that never gets easier.
"They can approach you and literally put you in a situation where you don't go to Christmas dinner with your family, or you don't have no more birthdays," he said.
Those special moments are just some of the many things that were stripped away from Jones' nephew.
"The only way that they will ever stop is if we keep the pressure on people to make them stop," he said.
That's why Jones created the Hope929 Foundation, an organization that promotes civil rights in hopes of creating change.
"There's so many people that talk about it and are not about it, so we have established programs that we give back to people that can't get it themselves. It's just to make a difference, to make them whole again," he said.
Jones was one of the many speakers at this year's Black SON Day event hosted by the UnGun Institute.
Dr. Marty K. Casey, founder of the UnGun Institute and Black SON Day, said the event gives men space to have conversations about mental health, trauma, victory and support.
"I wanted to create something that no matter where they are in the world, they should feel safe, they should feel loved, uplifted and elevated," she said.
Not only was the event filled with vendors targeted at men, but according to Casey, it was also filled with speeches targeted at change.
"If we don't have these conversations, if we're not connected and we're not talking to one another, to say, you know what, I don't want that to be what it was. How can we make it different?" she said.
It's a difference that Casey is calling on everyone to step up and be a part of.
"I don't want to see history repeat itself, so what are we going to do today to start this messaging, to be a part of the collective of doing something positive, to heal and move forward," she said.
Jones is also traveling around the country promoting the Medical Civil Rights bill, which would establish the legal right to medical care during any police interaction, when someone says they need emergency help.
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