Alaina Bookman reports for the “Beyond the Violence” collaborative, a partnership between AL.com, The Birmingham Times and CBS42. Support her work here.

Jamarcus Speights, a senior at Midfield High School, said he fears for his life, knowing he could be the next teen to die from gun violence.

On the National Day of Concern about Young People and Gun Violence, over 900 students across Birmingham pledged to stop the violence. At Midfield High School, Alabama State Lead of Voices of Black Mothers United, Jessica Brown, spoke with students about losing her son, Censere, to gun violence in 2018 and the importance of nonviolence.

“I think it’s important to know about because a lot of people around my age have been dying from gun violence lately,” Speights said. “I feel scared for my life that I could probably be next.”

In Jefferson County, there have been 151 homicides so far in 2023. Last year, several Midfield students, including 16-year-old Steve’Terris Stubbs, were killed.

Brown said the students she spoke with were responsive to the message. They asked her how she coped with her son’s death and shared stories of losing family members and friends to gun violence.

She said she and the students were able to bond, with some shedding tears for their loved ones.

“It reaches everyone, everyone is affected,” Brown said.

“To me, the pledge means putting down the guns and taking your life seriously,” Midfield senior Ya’Nia Brundidge said.

“Both of your lives are gone because you shot this person, now you got to go to jail for a long time,” Amya Talley, a Midfield senior, said.

Both students say they know teenagers who have died from gun violence.

“If we try to educate them as early as possible about guns and violence and their effects and making better choices when it comes to guns and settling disputes, I think we can curb some of this violence,” Brown said.

The pledge reads: I will never bring a gun to school. I will never use a gun to settle a personal problem or dispute. I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using guns to settle disputes. My individual choices and actions, when multiplied by those of young people throughout the country, will make a difference. Together, by honoring this pledge we can reverse the violence and grow up in safety.

“Support the cause and get onboard with it,” Speights said.