Public Employee Press

Everyday Heroes
Organizing for peace

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

Local 299 President Jackie Rowe-Adams is a shade over 5 feet tall, but she will stand up to anybody, including Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.

When the Harlem native and community activist went to the 2012 NRA convention in St. Louis at the invitation of the Daily News, she confronted LaPierre and asked him to support stronger gun control legislation.

"He said we would work together, but he never followed up," said Rowe-Adams, who also is a Parks Dept. recreation manager.

Since 2006, when she co-founded the non-profit Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E. (Stop Another Violent End), Rowe-Adams and a dedicated group of volunteers gather monthly at their W. 128 Street storefront to serve as a support group for each other and discuss ways to increase the peace. The mothers, and some fathers, come from the neighborhood, the South Bronx, the Lower East Side and from all walks of life, but they all have one thing in common: Their children have been victims of gun violence.

Iris Bailey, a former Local 1549 member, found out about the Harlem group from a neighbor and comes from the Lower East Side. Her son was killed three years ago. "There is strength in numbers," Bailey said.

Milagros Ortega comes from the Amsterdam Houses on the Upper West Side and heard Rowe-Adams for the first time at a rally. "I was impressed because she doesn't let what happened to her define her," said Ortega, who in 2013 lost her son Francisco. Rowe-Adams has lost two sons, Tyrone, shot by a 13-year-old, and Anthony.

Niccola Maggie lost her nephew Antonio three years ago and at first resisted seeking any support until she saw Rowe-Adams on television. She comes from the Bronx and enjoys supporting the other mothers. "I wish I could come here every week," she said.

The mothers gathered around a table making signs for the Peace Walk on June 11. They will march from their Harlem storefront to Rucker Park.

On the wall, there's a bulletin board with pictures of their sons, next to an office Dr. John Palmer uses to offer bereavement counseling. While the women make signs, Rowe-Adams is already in marching mode strutting around the office trying out chants for the walk.