JAY-Z's Team Roc, the charitable extension of Roc Nation, continues its social justice initiative with the NFL by releasing a new public service announcement targeting gun violence. The video honors the life of Hadiya Pendleton, a young girl who was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013.
The powerful clip is narrated by Hadiya's mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, as she touches on the life and death of her daughter who was fatally shot when she was 15 as an innocent bystander in a Chicago park. Micheail Ward insisted he fired at the group of teenagers because he mistook them for rival gang members. He has since received an 84-year prison sentence.
In the video, Cowley-Pendleton revealed that Hadiya was known to stand up for what she believed in, even going so far as to release her own PSA encouraging students to say no to gangs.
"If we give the young people something to do, if we provide them with love and care, it would lift the awareness to the young that their voices matter and their lives matter — and they should be the ones to do something about that," Cowley-Pendleton said.
The PSA from Team Roc and the NFL also brings awareness to Hadiya's Promise, the non-profit started in Hadiya's honor to end gun violence. Press play below to watch the moving clip.
