When the 28-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper Takeoff was killed by gunfire outside of a Houston club in 2022, it rocked not just the Atlanta community, but changed the trajectory of many of his family members’ lives.
At the Fortune Impact Initiative in Atlanta on Tuesday, Tatiana Davenport, Takeoff’s mother, and Edna Maddox, his grandmother, discussed how losing their family member spurred them to establish the Rocket Foundation, which is committed to ending gun violence in America. The rapper Quavo, Takeoff’s uncle and fellow member of the hip-hop group Migos, is also behind the initiative, and the foundation has disbursed nearly $300,000 in grants to prevent gun violence since it was set up in late 2022.
The family is far from the only one impacted by the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among children and teens aged 1 to 19 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And around 54% of Americans say they or a family member have had a gun-related experience including being personally threatened with a gun, having a family member killed, personally witnessing someone being shot, or being shot themselves.
Davenport and Maddox emphasized that if they can prevent even one instance of gun violence, their work will be worth it. Davenport said it isn’t only losing Takeoff, whose given name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, that has inspired her work. She is also galvanized by the repeated acts of gun violence across the country, including the massacre of elementary school children in Uvalde, Texas, and the recent shooting at Apalachee High School, just outside of Atlanta. The women hope that by investing in communities, they can spare families from the future trauma.
“This is an ongoing problem, and it’s growing bigger and bigger,” said Davenport. “If I can prevent one mother, one father, one grandma, one auntie, cousin, friend, and family member [from walking] through my shoes—I’m willing to turn my pain into passion.”
They were joined at the conference by Greg Jackson Jr., deputy director of the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, who said investing in communities via things like victim services and supporting families after a loss are simple things the government can do to lessen Americans’ pain.
Jackson Jr., who survived being shot in 2013, says it’s important for families that have been affected by gun violence to lead the way on solutions—but it’s also important for the government to listen and invest in activist efforts.
The U.S. still has a long way to go in reducing gun violence, but Jackson Jr. says efforts like those made by the Rocket Foundation and Takeoff’s family are making a difference.
“I know I’m not Superwoman,” said Maddox, reflecting on her grandson’s life. She added that Takeoff always said “this thing is bigger than me. And I never knew what that meant, up until his tragedy happened.”
