L to r, Deborah Prothrow-Stith of HSPH, Joseph and Tina Chery, directors of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, and Miss America Erika Harold at the Boston "Peace Party"

Miss America 2003 Erika Harold and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino participated in a press conference at HSPH on October 24 to recognize the National Day of Concern About Young People and Gun Violence, a national youth anti-gun violence campaign. They were joined by David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center and professor of health policy at HSPH, who presented the latest data on the toll of gun-related homicide, suicide, and accidental deaths of children.

At the press conference, a group of local elementary school children took the same pledge that more than seven million American young people have stated since the first National Day of Concern in 1996: "I will never carry a gun to school; I will never use a gun to settle a dispute; and I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using guns to settle disputes."

The next evening, Harold, whose Miss America "platform" is about preventing youth violence, returned to HSPH to present awards at the Inaugural Boston "Peace Party" at HSPH. The event paid tribute to 14 youth and 14 adult residents of Boston who are making a difference in their communities by working to promote peace at the neighborhood level. More than 200 community members attended the award celebration and dinner. The evening was moderated by Harold, Deborah Prothrow-Stith, director of the Division of Public Health Practice, and Howard Spivak, chair of the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center’s Community Response Team at the Division of Public Health Practice.

The Boston Peace Party was the first of its kind to recognize the value and contributions of those who do not hold formal "violence prevention" positions but whose efforts are critical in the creation of healthy communities for America’s youth.

The event was sponsored by the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center. Partners include: Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation (HOPE), Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Mattapan Community Health Center, South Boston Community Health Center, Teens Against Gang Violence (TAGV), Whittier Street Community Health Center, and HSPH. Funding for the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Miss America has been admitted to the class of 2005 at Harvard Law School, but has deferred.