First Lady Michelle Obama plans to attend the Feb. 9 funeral for Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago student shot to death last month a week after performing during President Obama’s inauguration events, according to a Feb. 7 New York Times report.
Also attending the funeral with the First Lady are Valerie Jarette, a senior advisor to President Obama and Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education.
Pendleton was killed in a park close to the Obama family’s Chicago home. A gang member reportedly opened fire on a group of young people, killing the 15-year-old. No arrests have been made. The New York Times reports that the drum majorette’s killing was the 42nd this year in Chicago, which had more than 500 homicides last year.
Pendleton, an honors student and volleyball player, spoke out against gang violence in a 2008 public service announcement, saying, “So many children out there are in gangs, and it’s your job as students to say no to gangs and yes to a great future.”
In the continuing discussion on gun control issues, Vice President Joseph Biden is scheduled to meet with law enforcement officials and Congressional Democrats in Philadelphia on Feb. 11, while President Obama plans to discuss his plan to confront gun violence in his State of the Union speech on Feb. 12.
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