NEW YORK, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — “The day Hadiya was born my life began and the day she died I thought it was the end of mine, until I realized it was the beginning of my new life – as an activist,” said Cleopatra Pendleton , mother of slain 15-year-old Chicago student Hadiya Pendleton , during an emotionally charged speech at the launch of MOTHERS ON A MISSION: AGAINST URBAN GUN VIOLENCE.

Hosted by BET Networks and The National Action Network, M.O.M.: AGAINST URBAN GUN VIOLENCE seeks to reclaim the true meaning of Mother’s Day by “appealing to women throughout the world” to unite for peace.

Pendleton noted that while Hadiya was the “. . . 42^nd child killed at the hands of gun violence in 2013,” there have been countless others after and the numbers continue to rise.  Speaking to the importance of stricter gun laws, “I’ve been travelling all over to bring awareness to violence and some people say I should sit down, but I say no. It’s time for you to get up!”

MOTHERS ON A MISSION: AGAINST URBAN GUN VIOLENCE also shared a “5 Point Call to Action” for mothers during the month of May:

1. Find a local anti-violence program in your area and donate time and/or money.

2. Work with other mothers to petition your local community center or place of worship to stay open during extended hours to provide conflict resolution and anti-violence programming for youth especially during summer months.

3. Contact elected officials and make your voice heard about gun violence.

4. Work with local organizations like National Action Network on programs like “Occupy the Corners.”

5. Lend your time to mentoring youth in your local community.

Note to Editors: Photos available upon request.

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation, with chapters throughout the U.S. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton , NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, national origin, and gender.

SOURCE BET Networks