Darnell Lamont Walker writes, “Buying my first gun felt like a collision of identity, fear, and history. Guns had always been distant, abstract symbols of something that didn’t belong to me, but rather to others — their way of navigating the world, not mine.”
Here’s why he did it anyway.
Read on in Vinegar Hill Magazine.
Walker’s story is part of First Person Charlottesville, a program of Charlottesville Inclusive Media, with Vinegar Hill Magazine and the In My Humble Opinion radio show. He chronicles growing up in Charlottesville and his journey to seek safety and peace.
“I’m still figuring out who I am in a world where violence is so often the answer, and where owning a gun feels like both a necessity and a betrayal of the peace I’ve fought so hard to find,” he writes.
More from First Person Charlottesville
She spent 18 years in central Virginia prisons — and wants the world to know that incarcerated mothers matter
Candace Williams tells her story of being a woman in prison and the challenges of getting out.
With the season’s first snow came hateful speech for this Charlottesville resident
Brianna Patten writes about why she doesn’t trust the institutions meant to protect us — and what she worries about for the future.
Listen: She left Yogaville because she says it was a toxic environment
In this First Person Charlottesville podcast episode, former Yogaville resident Brianna Patten speaks up — and helps others do the same.
More local News
Virginia has high vaccination rates. Why do we have a large measles outbreak?
Some community members don’t have easy access to vaccines, while others might look to their neighbors for advice, explains Jennifer Reich, a sociologist who has studied vaccine hesitancy.
Farewell, fines — Jefferson-Madison Regional Library to drop overdue fees for most items starting July 1
“If overdue fines are keeping them from walking through the door, we want to remove that barrier,” said JMRL director David Plunkett. “That’s the whole point.”
Free community forum will spotlight rising food insecurity among local immigrant families
Advocates say recent immigration enforcement has left many families struggling to afford groceries and other basic necessities.
Meet our Central Virginia Voter Guide team at the Orange County Fair
Share what’s on your mind about local issues and what you’d like us to ask local candidates.
Virginia’s measles outbreak spreads to Cumberland County
“As this outbreak expands to Cumberland County, I ask for the community’s help to stop measles from gaining further ground by ensuring you are vaccinated,” said Maria Almond, director of Piedmont Health District.
