Hundreds of Jacksonville high school students gathered at Edward Waters College Friday for the third annual Operation Save Our Sons Summit. The day’s events reinforced why the Summit was started in the first place: to challenge young men to think differently. Changing the culture Bishop John Guns of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church on the Northside organized the Summit and chose the theme: Young Lives Matter. Guns worked to bring in speakers like the Mayor and Superintendent of Schools and worked with the high schools to bring the students. Those students have two things in common: they’re all male and nearly all black. Guns says there is a culture of death and violence pervading the city, and the Summit is a step to turning that around. “This is about you. We’re tired of burying you guys,” Guns told the audience. “We’re tired of giving you away to the streets. We’re tired of giving you to jail cells.” Students break into groups by grade level — mixing the different schools together.
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