A Safer City
After Sharing His Story at the DNC, Chicago Teen Continues Mission to Curb Gun Violence
It wasn’t just politicians and celebrities who took the stage at last week’s Democratic National Convention. Community activists were also among the spotlighted speakers.
Advocates shared their stories about how gun violence has impacted their lives and inspired them to take action.
Edgar Vilchez, 19, was one of those speakers. He now uses his voice to teach other young people in Chicago how to influence change.
For Vilchez, a summer internship with the DNC host committee was also a chance to expand his advocacy with other young people, organizations and allies, eventually connecting him with an invitation to speak.
He was a junior in high school when he witnessed someone shoot another student outside their school. He said the realization that this could happen in his neighborhood drove him to speak up.
“Where it happened was in the street that I walk on to go to school,” Vilchez said. “And if it wasn’t that individual, it could have been me that day or one of my closest friends. And I feel like when we see situations already occur … in our community, we really have to start to think. And it’s like, what can we do to change that cycle and break the system?”
The DNC was a chance to represent the young people of Chicago and rewrite the story.
“Being on stage with other individuals, with congresswoman Lucy McBath, to people from the Uvalde shooting, it’s, like, their stories were changed, but now we’re here advocating and our stories are just beginning,” Vilchez said. “... That inspired me, hearing the survivors on stage that we’re not alone, but you know that our stories are heard, but we need to create the change.”
With the convention now over, Vilchez continues to work as a youth council member with the organization Project Unloaded, which uses social media to inform teens about gun safety, and resumes his studies at Cornell University.
