Trevon Bosley: Advocating for Gun Violence Prevention

Trevon Bosley, 26, has lived through tragedies that most people his age may have never faced. In 2005, Trevon’s cousin was shot and killed and the following year, his brother also died from gun violence.

At just 7 years old, Trevon was pulled into advocacy work. He regularly attended marches and rallies with his parents, who were inspired to create an organization for gun violence prevention called Pain Over Purpose. Then when he was 11, he got involved with the Chicago-based youth organization B.R.A.V.E. (Building Resilience Against Violence Engagement).

“With the loss of my cousin Vincent Avant in December 2005 who was killed down the street [from where I live], and the loss of my brother Terrell Bosley an aspiring gospel bass player killed at church, I've dedicated my life to violence prevention,” Trevon said.

Building on his advocacy work, in 2018 Trevon joined March for Our Lives, an organization that was created after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 students and staff were killed.

Trevon is running his first marathon at this year’s TCS New York City Marathon to fundraise for March for Our Lives where he now serves as board co-chair.

“With this cause being at the forefront of everything I do I saw no better place to fundraise for,” he said.

He also wants people to have hope. When he first started marching and going to rallies, "gun violence prevention" wasn't even a phrase that people used, but now more than 150 gun violence prevention laws have been passed in Trevon's home state of Illinois. And last year, the White House created the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention. 

Growing up, sports was Trevon's escape. He used basketball to cope with the grief and loss of his family members and started running in the last couple years for stress relief.

“Running has given me a mental release from the stresses that come from being so involved in the violence prevention movement. Although we are doing amazing work, we're not immune to more losses along this journey of saving lives,” he said.

Trevon is looking forward to seeing the beauty of all the different boroughs of New York City during the marathon and to experience the “biggest physical accomplishment” of his life.

“More importantly, it'll feel amazing knowing how much attention I was able to bring to the violence prevention movement, especially for stories like my brother's and my cousin’s [that] don't make the news,” Trevon said.

Trevon is part of #TeamInspire, a diverse group of 26 entrants whose stories capture the power of running to change lives. Read other #TeamInspire stories at the links below.

Rashida Santos: Putting Her Health First

Sovena Ngeth: Overcoming Generational Trauma One Step at a Time

Nate Kahaiali'i: Running for Recovery

LaDawn Jefferson: Confident and Cancer-Free