The Laksmi Project

Attending Physician | Pediatric Emergency Medicine | Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Dr. Samaa Kemal is a pediatric emergency medicine clinician investigator at Lurie Children’s Hospital. She is a champion for advancing children's health through multiple research and advocacy initiatives focused on the intersection of violence and health equity in children. 

She is the Associate Medical Director of her institution’s hospital-based violence intervention program through which she leads the efforts to provide young victims of violence with holistic, trauma-informed care to assist in their recovery and support their long-term physical and mental health.  

Her research priorities are focused on developing and implementing novel and effective solutions to prevent violent injuries and subsequent adverse outcomes in children. This work is driven by her deep passion for improving the lives of youth, families and communities impacted by violence. 

Executive Director | One Aim Illinois

Yolanda Androzzo (she/her) is the Executive Director of One Aim Illinois, where she leads the state’s largest grassroots coalition of gun violence prevention advocates to end gun violence in Illinois. 

In order to strengthen the gun violence prevention movement in Illinois, Yolanda provides leadership over One Aim’s Survivors Council to lift up the voices of Black and Brown gun violence survivors and family members. Survivors’ relentless advocacy in the face of profound grief and trauma are stories that need telling and stories that have and will continue to shape the movement to end gun violence.

Yolanda has taken the lead to make sure survivors always have a seat at the table when new gun violence prevention policies are being developed.

Yolanda can be contacted at yolanda@oneaimil.org.

Survivors Alliance for Healing & Justice and Broken Winggz Coordinator | Communities United

Eric Wilkins (he/him) is a Chicago native born and raised on the South Side. As a survivor of gun violence and as a brother who was wrongfully convicted, Eric Wilkins has been dedicated to advance efforts for police reform and accountability. Having joined Communities United in 2018, Eric works to develop the leadership of young men of color who are survivors of violence and trauma to advance CU’s Healing Through Justice framework and systems change.

Eric, and the Communities United team can be contacted at info@communitiesunited.org or eric@communitiesunited.org.

Highland Park Survivor & Advocate

Lauren Bennett is from Highland Park, IL and on the morning of July 4, 2022 her family was in the front row of a parade when a semi automatic gun shot multiple rounds of bullets from above the street.

Lauren was shot in her back twice, one bullet exiting through her hip, as well as being hit by tons of shrapnel in her arm.

Since that horrific day, she has been sharing her story with the public, and is in contact with other survivors of gun violence, advocating for sensible gun control laws before Congress.

Lauren can be contacted at laurensbennett@gmail.com.

Senior Vice President, Law and Policy

Nick (he/him) brings 20 years of legal and policy experience in the public and private sectors to the role of Senior Vice President for Law and Policy of Everytown for Gun Safety, the nation’s largest gun violence prevention organization. In this role, he oversees the organizational strategy for federal, state, and local policy, community safety initiatives, research and investigations. He regularly advises and has served on the transition teams of Governors, Attorneys General, Mayors and District Attorneys.

Directly prior to joining Everytown, he served as Senior Advisor and Special Counsel to the New York State Attorney General, where he formulated legal strategies in the areas of criminal justice, public safety, technology, and government integrity.

To collaborate with or support Everytown for Gun Safety, please email Development Director, Charlie Johnson, cjohnson@everytown.org.