Student-led Peace Summit confronts gun violence in Pittsburgh-area schools

PITTSBURGH — Inside the school halls, students are facing more than just academics. Social pressures, physical fights and the emotional weight of life outside the classroom are daily realities, and for many, gun violence hits especially close to home.

That’s why high school students from across Allegheny County gathered for the first-ever regional Peace Summit, a student-led initiative aimed at addressing the trauma and violence affecting their lives.

“Every single one of you just told me the common denominator that brings us all together is pain,” one speaker told the crowd.

In a packed gymnasium, the stories were deeply personal.

“My brother was shot in 2016,” said Deahmi Mobley, who’s a junior at Perry High School.

Students from Clairton City, Woodland Hills, Pittsburgh Public Schools and others stood together in solidarity, sharing lived experiences and discussing solutions.

“It’s scary,” said Troy Akins, a senior at Woodland Hills High School. “You never know when someone might get shot, when some incident may happen where someone risks their life. There could be a call one day where your friend was shot, your mom was shot.”

The summit brought together student leaders, peace groups, and educators to find common ground and collaborate on how to build safer school environments.

“There’s a lot of gun violence going on with young teenagers,” Mobley said. “It comes from teenagers from neighborhood to neighborhood.”

Mobley said witnessing violence in his own school hallways pushed him to join Perry’s peace group, which eventually brought him to the summit. There, he connected with students from across the region to share ideas and strategies.

“We talked about different ways to bring students into the building without them feeling like it isn’t safe,” he said.

Kemi Makinde, a senior at University Prep, emphasized the shared experiences among students, even if their individual circumstances differ.

“We might not all be going through the same things, but we all have been in the same things,” Makinde said. “You might be sitting next to someone who has been through something similar.”

The daylong summit featured group discussions, performances, and sports activities, all designed to open dialogue and foster healing.

“Later, we’ll be adults and grow up in age,” Akins said. “So, I think we start now and grow a foundation that will grow as we get older and older. It will be a tradition of stopping gun violence and building peace in our communities.”

As the event wrapped up, students were tasked with taking the lessons and plans back to their schools to implement change during the next academic year.

“Maybe now when you are out, there’s a conflict maybe you are that person that says wait didn’t we meet at that event, maybe they will think twice before they engage,” said Dr. Tamara Allen-Thomas, who’s the Clairton City superintendent.

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