An Evening for Gun Violence Prevention

Yetide Badaki

LA-based actress, producer, and activist Yetide Badaki to appear at Safer Country's McLean fundraiser.

Founded on February 14, 2019, Safer Country is holding an evening for gun violence prevention.

Please join us for a reception on Wednesday, November 13, from 7 - 9 pm, 6927 Churchill Road, McLean, Virginia.

Featured Speakers

Yetide Badaki, New Safer Country Advisory Committee Honorary Chairperson, LA-based Actress. Producer, Activist

Hala Ayala, New Board Member, Virginia Democratic Women's Caucus Chair, former Lt. Governor Democratic nominee, former State Delegate

Andrew Goddard, New Board Member, The Virginia Center for Public Safety Legislative Director

Co-Sponsors Ronald Abramson, Peter Appel, Rep. Don Beyer, Loren Hershey, Ret. Army Col. Gordon Sumner, Boyd Walker

Co-Chairs

Ken Cummins, Nevin Dolcefino, Safer Country VP Laura Mandala, Laurie Solomon

Co-Hosts

Sue Johnson, Alan Krishnan, Fmr. State Del. Mark Levine, Ericka Miller, State Sen. Saddam Salim,

Special Guests

Chris Falcon, Fairfax County Clerk of the Court

Ghazala Hashmi, Ph.D., State Senator, candidate for Lt. Governor

Jay Jones, former State Delegate, candidate for Attorney General

Dr. Babur Lateef, Prince William County School Board Chair, candidate for Lt. Governor

Mark Levine, former State Delegate

Saddam Salim, State Senator

Levar Stoney, Richmond Mayor, candidate for Lt. Governor

Richard "Rip" Sullivan, State Delegate

Co-Sponsors, Co-Chairs, Co-Hosts, and Special Guests will be listed and thanked on our invitation and at the event. This list is in development.

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Yetide is one of Hollywood’s up and coming actress activists. She's involved with the Creative Coalition, a 501(c)(3) that enables members of the entertainment community to speak out on social issues.

Her resume includes Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, American Gods, Lost, Touch, Criminal Minds, and This Is Us. She will be starring as Queen Nzinga in the Starz/Lionsgate TV series for which she is also executive producer.

Ms. Badaki has narrated award winning audio books for such authors as Desmond Tutu, Teju Cole, Nnedi Okorafor, Natasha Bowen and Akwaeke Emezi. A theater actress in Chicago, Badaki won acclaim for her performances at the Victory Gardens Theater and Steppenwolf. Her film credits include the Disney film RISE, Precipice, A Chance of Rain, What We Found, and Run Fast.

 

Yetide feels compelled to get involved to protect lives by preventing gun tragedies. In that light, she shared that, “Every time I hear of another school shooting, my heart grows heavy. I have nephews and nieces I adore and it is heartbreaking that children like them go to school every day with the threat of experiencing such violence.”

Further, she emphasized that, “As former First Lady Michelle Obama said during the Democratic National Convention, we all need to Do Something. Working with Safety Country is exactly that. This gives me the opportunity to "do something" about an issue I care deeply about. I hope to be a part of changing our nation for the better.”

Hala Ayala, a cybersecurity specialist with over 25 years of experience in national security, is a dedicated public servant. Her commitment to serving the community is evident in her numerous political milestones, such as being the first Afro-Latina woman elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2017 and becoming the first Black woman and Latina to be nominated for statewide office by the Democratic Party in over 400 years in 2021.

As a Delegate and Chief Deputy Whip, Hala worked tirelessly to pass legislation that benefits millions of Virginians. Her efforts have led to significant changes, including expanding background checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands, a measure that has undoubtedly saved lives and made communities safer.

Hala’s personal experience with gun violence has deeply influenced her political career. She understands the pain and trauma it causes, having felt its toll firsthand when her father was killed when she was just two years old. This profound empathy, born from her own experience, has driven her to champion common-sense gun safety reform.

Hala’s political career is marked by her unwavering determination to advocate for progress in Virginia. Even though she is no longer a legislator, her work to end gun violence continues. She is committed to building on the progress made in Virginia, not only to honor her father but to honor all of the victims of gun violence through tangible action. Her hope is that her dedication will inspire hope for a safer future, which begins with ending the epidemic of gun violence in our country.

Andrew Goddard is the Legislative Director for The Virginia Center for Public Safety. Andrew’s son, Colin, was seriously wounded during the Virginia Tech mass shooting on April 16, 2007 and had to undergo multiple operations. Colin is doing well today and has a beautiful family.

Andrew was moved by that incident to become one of Virginia’s leading gun safety advocates and is an invaluable source of information to everyone interested in legislation impacting the subject.

Safer Country

Safer Country is a leader on gun tragedy prevention public awareness campaigns for temporary firearms removal laws, also called red flag laws.

Our "Prevent A Gun Tragedy - SPEAK UP!" campaign message is on signs in 344 Connector buses in Fairfax County and every DASH bus in the City of Alexandria. We are working to bring this campaign to other jurisdictions.

Our "Gun Security Unit" pilot project to prevent gun suicides by military veterans is in development with partners retired Army Colonel Gordon Sumner and VFW Post 609 Commander Jerry Krueger.

Legislatively, we are focused on three areas:

1) getting guns out of the hands of people subject to a domestic violence protection order;

2) getting Connecticut's more comprehensive safe and secure gun storage law (Ethan's law) passed in Virginia;

3) getting a new penalty added to our anti-brandishing law that would keep guns out of their hands for at least a decade.

We deeply appreciate your support for our work to prevent gun tragedies and save lives!

Safer Country is a 501(c)(3) education and advocacy group. Contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent of the law.

We especially appreciate checks to avoid processing fees. Checks may be mailed to:

Safer Country

P.O. Box 372

Alexandria, VA 22313-0372

Together we WILL create a safer country!