Ashley is an Everytown for Gun Safety Survivor Fellow, Class of 2019. She is also a volunteer leader with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. Professionally, Ashley works in higher education, having represented 5 colleges and universities in her career. Currently she works at Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC. Personally, Ashley is married to her best friend, Rob, and they live a childfree life with their two furry kids in Myrtle Beach.

Ashley loves sweet tea, musical theatre, roller skating and anything with drag queens. She tirelessly advocates for mental health support of gun violence survivors and looks to pursue her doctorate in this very topic very soon!

Let’s welcome her.

If you or someone you know is in a time of emotional crisis or needs to talk to someone, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line for free from anywhere in the US.

Brian Smith is a certified life coach, a grief guide, and a small business consultant. Brian's mission is to help others by sharing lessons he has learned from decades of experience and study.

Brian became well acquainted with grief in 2015 after the sudden passing of his fifteen-year-old daughter Shayna. After Shayna's passing, Brian felt his life was over. He had to learn to survive for the sake of his wife, Tywana, and their daughter, Kayla. Brian has studied the nature of life and death and how to progress through grief.

In his grief work, Brian provides a safe space where you can safely share what you are experiencing. Brian share techniques that he discovered and developed after his devastating loss. Perhaps most importantly, he can help you understand that death is not goodbye and that your relationship with your loved one can continue. His understanding is not a religious-based belief, but a position arrived at based on reason and evidence.

Brian is on the board of the SoulPhone Foundation and Helping Parents Heal. Brian is the author of "Grief 2 Growth: Planted. Not Buried." He is the host of the Grief 2 Growth podcast. Let's welcome him.

Tisa’s son, Tyrell Miles was shot and killed at the age of 23 in Summerville, SC on November 30, 2015 along with his 21-year-old friend due to a senseless act of violence by a known acquaintance. Tisa is the Deputy Chapter Lead, SC Moms Demand Action, Member of Everytown Survivor Network, Advisory member of Taking Back Our Village, Tri-County Gun Violence Coordinating Council, and Co-Founder of We Are Their Voices non-profit.

Let’s welcome her.

Alicia Campbell is a wife, married for 29 years to husband Anthony and the mother of two amazing sons Rashad and Ahmad and a bonus mother to daughter Deana Hawkins. She’s a full time employee for Vance County as senior finance technician. She’s a duo lead singer in two choirs at St James Missionary Baptist Church in North Carolina.

On October 2, 2016 her 21 year old son Ahmad Campbell, and Alisia Dieudonne who both attended Southern A&T University, were slain by an unknown gunman after an altercation broke out during an off-campus party. They were innocent bystanders who got caught in the line of gunfire that fatal night. Both mothers have built and bond and have started foundations in the honor of their children. Alicia started the Ahmad Campbell Foundation Inc in 2018 to assist students to further their education in honor of Ahmad. Alicia is a member of the Moms Demand Action Wake Forest Chapter and a 2020 Fellow for the Everytown Survivor Network. Let’s welcome her.

Today, June 28, 2020 marks two years since five Capital Gazette employees were killed in a mass shooting at their Annapolis office. Help It's the Miami Knight Show- Grief Talk honor their lives by creating awareness of irresponsible gun ownership and how we can make a difference through story sharing and advocacy.

Andrea Chamblee's husband of 33 years, John McNamara, was killed in the mass shooting at the Annapolis Capitol on June 28th 2018. She finished John's fourth book-his life's work a 300 page love letter, called a Capital of Basketball, on 100 years of DC High School hoops. Andrea’s day job is a government lawyer with the food and drug administration.

Andrea’s a survivor fellow with Everytown Survivor Network for gun safety and a volunteer with Mom's Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. In her advocacy she has pushed Maryland lawmakers to close the gap by requiring background checks for all rifles and shotguns.

John McNamara loved covering sports. He was a master of statistics and rankings. In Capital of Basketball, John discusses the trends and evolution of the game, John built beautiful relationships with coaches, teaches and the players. McNamara also uncovers the turmoil in the lives of the players and area residents as they dealt with prejudice, educational inequities, politics, and the ways the area has changed through the years.

Today, June 28, 2020 marks two years since five Capital Gazette employees were killed when a gunman opened fire at the Annapolis office. A memorial to honor John and four pillars named The Guardians of Free Speech is set to be unveiled in Newman Park in June 2021.

Since John’s death Andrea has become a Gun Violence Prevention Advocate sharing her story with an array of audiences. She’s been featured on CBS Evening News, Montgomery Talks Podcast, Gaithersburg Book Festival, WUSA9, Ignite Annapolis, Great Day Washington, WTOP News, STJohnsNorwood Forum, USA Today sports, Washington Post, CNN Live and now It’s the Miami Knight Show Grief Talk. Let’s welcome her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wNQoLt5mTI

Carrita Flie is a young woman who exudes strength and grace. She can also be described as a true victor and an example to many women. Carrita is an angel mom times two. After experiencing two losses, she was led by God to begin sharing her story publicly. Her motivation for sharing this journey was to remind other women that they were not alone. She also wanted to make it known that child loss did not only happen to certain groups of women. Anyone could find themselves in this seat. Carrita’s experience with child loss, high-risk pregnancy and dealing with the medical complexities of a micro preemie have led to the work that she is doing today.

Carrita is a published author, NICU advocate, inspirational speaker and overall supporter of women. Let's welcome her.

Don’t Struggle in Silence. I Am A V.I.C.T.O.R- an authorship compilation of -Sharing your story after pregnancy loss opens the door to healing.

Sheldon Fertig was a hardworking, loving husband and father, and an active participant in his community - until his life was cut short at the age of 47, by a hold-up in his family’s store. With his wife Ruth critically injured during the robbery, their seventeen-year-old son Howie Fertig was responsible for telling his two little sisters that their father had just been killed. He took a leave of absence from his freshman year at college to work at the store full-time, and his first job was to mop up the blood from where his father’s life had been taken.

After graduating college, he became a freelance illustrator and art teacher, working with emotionally handicapped boys whose parents had lost custody due to abuse and neglect. Reading their case studies, Howie came to understand how given the environment these children grew up in, and the challenges they faced, gun violence was a very possible consequence.

And with the terrible loss of their husband and father, the interrelationships between Howie and his family suffered greatly as well. It wasn’t until he attended his first Moms Demand Action meeting, and he heard his first gun-violence survivor story - 42 years after Sheldon was killed, that he realized his family’s dysfunction wasn’t because of who they were as people, but rather was an effect of how gun violence had impacted the Fertig family.

That night Howie joined Moms Demand Action, and identified as a gun violence survivor.

Since then Howie has attended regional and national moms demand action training sessions and has learned how to share his gun violence survivor story and spread awareness for sensible gun laws at numerous programs and events including presentations to local elected officials, at religious institutions, and at the meeting of various organizations.

Howie has also honored his father memory on the Moms Demand Action Moments that Survive website.

Currently Howie serves as the Gun Violence Survivor Lead for Passaic New Jersey’s Moms Demand Action chapter reaching out to other gun violence survivors so they are not alone in dealing with their loss, and making them aware of various services and opportunities available to them to take the memory of their loved one and use it to help ensure that others don’t have to go through the same terrible loss. Let’s welcome him.

Caressa Rezsonya grew up in and lived most of her life in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington. Where she majored in Spanish and International Studies with a minor in Speech Communication.

In a previous marriage for over 18 years her and her ex-husband created 4 human beings, Anthony Tyler, Hailey Maxine, Delaney Letise and Walker Lee.

Caressa’s has since divorced. But now she’s been sharing her life for over five years with her best friend gaining 2 bonus children, Thomas and Samantha, whom she love dearly! Caressa states “I never imagined my journey would take me to all of the places that I have been, physically and emotionally. I am at a very happy place right now.”

Let’s welcome her.

Welcome back Grief Nation Listeners, to It’s the Miami Knight Show Grief Talk… It’s Friday June 12, and it’s a very special day… Help me welcome Compiler Ashley K. Pittman and her collaboration with Meet the Authors, with Caressa Rezsonya, Carrita Flie, Datarsha Davis, Dadriauanna Williams, Janell Jones, and Shir’Lee Elesse. So let’s dive in to this amazing 89 page story share of Don’t Struggle in Silence. I Am A V.I.C.T.O.R- an authorship compilation of -Sharing your story after pregnancy loss opens the door to healing. This Amazon E-book and Barnes & Noble dropped on May 20, 2020 and now It’s the Miami Knight show is a part of their Virtual Book tour campaign in support of my sisters along their grief journeys. Let’s welcome them. Don't forget to subscribe and like this audio!

Tonjula Mason-Shelby is a daughter, wife, aunt, and friend to many from the Jackson, MS area. Sadly on April 12, 2017 she was robbed of being a mother to her only child, 25 year old Kimondra Mason. Most of her life is centered on my family and the other portion is focused on being a nurse, for which, I have enjoyed for over 20 plus years.

Since her son’s murder Tonjula has connected with several grass-root organizations focused on gun violence awareness/prevention. Tonjula states “this affords me an opportunity to keep Kimondra’s name present while speaking against irresponsible gun use.” Her affiliation to bring awareness to this public health crisis is her advocacy work through Moms Demand Action and Everytown for gun safety. She’s also a member of the Mississippi Everytown Survivor Network successfully completing the 2020 Fellowship Training Program. As an engagement representative this gives her a sense of pride to speak out against the senselessly of gun usage in America. Let’s welcome her.