WASHINGTON — On Monday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced that M’kiyah Martin will be his guest to the President’s State of the Union Address today to commemorate National Gun Violence Survivors Week.

M’kiyah is a 14-year-old gun violence prevention advocate and high school student from South Philadelphia.

Like many young Americans, M’kiyah experienced the effects of gun violence in her community when her teenage cousin was shot and killed in 2018. M’kiyah is an intern with the Philadelphia-based Young Chances Foundation, which provides positive experiential opportunities for youth to succeed in their communities.

“I am pleased that M’kiyah will be able to join me for the President’s State of the Union Address,” said Casey. “We often hear about the lives that gun violence takes. Approximately 100 individuals are killed with guns each day. But it’s less often that we hear about the survivors — the injured; the traumatized; and the family members — like M’kiyah — friends and communities who are left to deal with the physical and emotional costs of gun violence. I am hopeful that M’kiyah’s attendance will remind others in Washington of the grave task we have at hand not only to prevent gun violence in our communities, but to ensure survivors and those impacted by gun violence have access to the resources they need to recover and manage their trauma.”

For her part, M’kiyah said, “I am looking forward to coming to D.C. to watch the State of the Union with Senator Casey and raise awareness about gun violence. As kids, we just want to live safely in our communities and not worry about losing our friends to gun violence.”