Detroit Youth Choir Perform Rock Classic 'Sweet Child o'Mine' To Address Gun Violence
The Detroit Youth Choir was a big hit on America’s Got Talent in 2019. Now they are lending their powerful voices to address gun violence. The choir has been using its collective voice to address important issues.
On Tuesday (August 16), they released a moving rendition of Sweet Child o' Mine, which was a hit for the rock band Guns N' Roses in 1988. An image of Layla Salazar, an 11-year-old who was killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, was used in their video. The Detroit Youth Choir was given permission by Salazar’s father, the Detroit Free Press reports. The choir also wore t-shirts with the names of locations of mass shootings.
The choir consists of over 50 youth from 8 to 18 and Anthony T. White the artistic director. White said in a statement, “This song asks a simple question: 'Where do we go now?' While progress has been made, this is no time for complacency, as the lyrics of the rap in the song say. It can’t take 10 years to ask what’s next.”
White also added, “This version of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” is a poignant call to action from today’s youth to all grown-ups to stay at the table, show respect to one another and continue to work together to find solutions to make our schools and communities safer from gun violence.”
See the video below, which includes a solo from 15-year-old Gwendolyn Jackson. In 2021, her father died due to gun violence.
