End Gun Violence | Save Our Youth Kings & Queens

SCROLL

Save-Our-Kings-&-Queens-white-on-black.png

about us

My name is Mitch Morris and I have been a community outreach worker in Cincinnati for many years. I go into hot spots to reach people who have no hope, to offer them something different, and to help them find a safe and productive future. My goal is to reduce gun violence on our streets.

We are excited to have office space in Winton Terrace, so we can offer a range of activities for our neighbors. Our first events have been a job fair for adults; a mentoring event, where we connected accomplished professional women with young women from the neighborhood; and an ongoing after-school program.

Our goal with these events - and all of our events - is to show young people an alternative to the street life. We appreciate the community leaders who have joined us for these events and spent time with our neighbors.

10-11-23 after-school program

Winton Terrace after-school program

yoga for kids

September 2024

Black Girls United 4-29-23 event invitation

10-11-23 after-school program

Winton Terrace after-school program

1/14

And now also in the West End!

Thanks to our partners at the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, we have space on Linn Street where we recently opened a second office, which will allow us to serve kids and their families from a second neighborhood.

Mitch Morris and his grandson joined anti-violence advocates from across the country in celebrating the signing of the Safer Communities Act.

Mitch was invited to attend an event at the White House on July 11, 2022, to mark the signing of the first major gun legislation in decades. He spent time with Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and other leaders and activists from across the country.

A Team Award

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission recently honored Save Our Youth: Kings & Queens at the annual Ohio MLK Awards honoring the service and achievements of Ohio residents and organizations in areas consistent with the teachings and example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“These Ohioans exemplify Dr. King’s teachings of peace, dignity, and non-violent social change,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “Congratulations to each award winner for their commitment to positive change within their communities.”

We accept this award for all the organizations working to reduce violence and spread hope and kindness throughout Cincinnati. We thank you all for working beside us to spread peace and healing, including:

City of Cincinnati administration, Cincinnati City Council, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cincinnati Police Department, Cincinnati Citizens Police Association, Christ Church Cathedral, Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Hamilton County Commission, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, all area first responders, hospital trauma units, other grassroots organizations working on the front lines, past and present outreach workers, all the volunteers and donors who fill the gaps, and everyone else who has contributed to the movement to stop the violence and spread peace and kindness.

Field trips have become a popular way to reinforce one of Mitch’s main messages: there is more to the world than what you might see in your neighborhood, and you deserve the chance to experience it. As Mitch said in March 2024 before a trip to Washington, D.C.: "I'm hoping they arise, and they see more and want to do more with their life and give them more choices and let them see that there's more out there in this world than what they see everyday in this area.”

Local 12 accompanied the group on the trip to Washington, D.C., in March 2024. Click here to see their report.

A year later, they took a field trip to Civil Rights landmarks in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery, Ala., and Memphis, Tenn. Local 12 again documented the start of the trip. Click here to see and read their report.

Other trips have included the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside Dayton, and a Federal court house in Cincinnati.