Brittany Wilson has felt the effects violence has had on youth in her family. From losing her godson to violence to counseling her child who was bullied at school, she understands how frustrating it can be to be stuck in that cycle.
Wilson was coping with that frustration one day while scrolling on Facebook when she came across Pastor Lawrence Levy, of Lafayette, Louisiana, and his traveling program called “The Funeral is Cancelled.” As soon as she saw it, Wilson knew she wanted to bring the program to Columbus.
“I did it because God put it on my heart,” Wilson said. “I was just going to do something just for my community, but then God told me, ‘Do it big. Do it for the whole of Columbus because we need it.”
The program, which will address issues like violence, police brutality and bullying, is slated to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Seventh Street Centre, 202 Seventh St. N. – where First Baptist Church used to be located downtown. Throughout the event, there will be reenactments depicting violent scenes, including kids killing kids, police killing kids and overdoses, as well as references to suicide, mental health issues and violent sexual situations, Wilson said.
Acknowledging the violent visuals, Wilson said the program is meant to give viewers a different perspective by showing them the impact of making bad or violent choices.
“I hope it will be an eye opener,” she said. “I hope that sitting out and really looking at it as seeing this could be them or this could be somebody, a loved one or anybody. … I hope it just changes a life.”
While the imagery is jarring, Wilson said the ultimate goal of the program is to raise awareness about the consequences of violence and to encourage the community to come together.
“It’s for adults as well, but it’s really for the youth, trying to stop the violence in Columbus because it’s just getting outrageous,” Wilson told The Dispatch.
The event is free and has no age limit. There will also be food trucks there, Wilson said.
‘If it could save one life’
Last year, the show made stops in Aberdeen, Tupelo and West Point. Lorenzo Wisdom, road manager for the program, told the Columbus City Council at its March 18 meeting the event in West Point inspired unity among community members who attended.
“(Lawrence) had every race out there, hugging and crying with each other,” he said. “I had never seen an event in my life that people up to age 80, even (five- and six-year-old kids), were actually in tears, and it wasn’t actually a real funeral.”
The council agreed to make a matching donation for the event of up to $2,000, given the group can provide receipts to show they’ve raised enough money for the match.
Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones is one of several sponsors for the event. If only one child is steered away from violence by the event, it will be a success, he said.
“I know they did it at West Point, and it was well received over there. So I thought that it would be something good to have over here,” Jones told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “If it could save one life and give them something better to see than violence, then I think it’s well worth whatever it costs to get it open.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
