Church of God In Christ Hosts A March to SAVE 901

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - March 2, 2020 - PRLog -- Saturday, April 4, 2020, is the anniversary of the day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. The Church of God In Christ (COGIC) Tennessee 5^th Jurisdiction, under the leadership of Bishop Jerry Taylor, is commemorating the day by inviting the community to participate in a SAVE 901 Awareness March. The purpose of the march is to bring awareness to the critical issues plaguing our city while unifying those who want to help address them. The awareness march will begin at 10 a.m. at Mason Temple, located at 930 Mason St. and culminate at the National Civil Rights Museum.

SAVE is an acronym for Suicide, Addiction & Violence are Epidemics. These are a few of the problems that have contributed to the number of deaths and the crime and in Memphis, and Bishop Taylor believes April 4^th is the perfect day to revive these efforts. "April 4^th is a fitting day to hold the SAVE 901 Awareness March because it was on this day in 1968 that one of the nation's most peaceful leaders had his life ended by gun violence. He was a minister, a man of the church, and it's time for the church to take a stand against the pain and the crime happening within Memphis," said Bishop Taylor.

Tennessee, Memphis and Shelby County have some disturbing statistics:
·         Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in the state of Tennessee, resulting in more than 900 deaths each year.
·         In 2017, there were 1,269 overdose deaths involving opioids in Tennessee which is above the national average.
·         In 2018, there were 1,228 deaths from gun violence ranking Tennessee 11th nationally.
·         Youth are catching the worst of it with the rate of homicides that killed those ages 0-19 in Tennessee growing by 106% since 2008.
·         In 2019, 191 homicides occurred in Memphis and the Shelby County Health Department has declared gun violence a public health crisis.

After the awareness march, Tennessee 5^th Jurisdiction will continue its peace-making efforts by working with the Memphis Police to devise impactful steps to help address these issues, especially in the area of gun violence.

After the SAVE 901 Awareness March, there will be a peace rally with guest speakers and local dignitaries. The participants will also be able to tour the National Civil Rights Museum.  For collaboration and sponsorship information, contact Superintendent Jesse Briggs at 901.949.0311.