The Congressional Black Caucus, led by members of the Chicago delegation, will host a National Summit on Violence in Urban Communities on Friday. The event will take place at Chicago State University and will feature lawmakers, religious leaders, law enforcement, members of local gangs and other stakeholders.
"This summit will shine light on the burgeoning problem of gun violence in Chicago and across the nation. The opportunity to address gun violence on a local and national level should change our nation’s discussion, and change our nation’s response to the issue," said Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush.

The summit will include discussions about the causes of violence in urban communities and collaborative solutions and small-group sessions. It will conclude with a two-hour town hall meeting.

"We have to make sure people understand we know there's a problem and part of that is listening to the community and the people who are actively engaged in this to see what works in Chicago and what doesn't," Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-Louisiana) told BET.com. "What's also important is that we understand that district attorneys, police officers and sheriffs aren't going to solve this problem. We have to create summer jobs, keep kids in school, make sure that we create an environment for those coming home from prison to be successful."

The summit will be held from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST, and will be streamed live at www.csu.edu/livestream. It will also be aired on C-SPAN.

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(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)