WOODLAND HILLS : Group Honors 3 for Combatting Violence

When Lorna Hawkins’ 21-year-old son was killed in a drive-by shooting five years ago, she was consumed with grief. When witnesses refused to testify against the killers, she was overwhelmed by anger.

“What that did was fuel the fire,” Hawkins said. “The more it’s fueled, the more anger I feel. I try to turn that anger into constructiveness.”

Since then, Hawkins has dedicated herself to helping survivors of violence and their families reach out to one another through support groups and educational programming about violence prevention.

Hawkins is one of three California peace brokers who will be honored today by Woodland Hills-based California Wellness Foundation.

Hawkins joins Norman Berry, a rap artist, and Bong Hwan Kim, a Korean community leader, as the first recipients of the California Violence Prevention Awards. They will be honored tonight at a Los Angeles banquet. Each will receive $25,000.

The awards were created to “promote the cause of peace in California,” said Howard Kahn, Wellness Foundation president.

In 1989, Hawkins started the cable access show “Drive-by Agony,” which aims to educate and help families of victims cope.

In 1992, another son was gunned down in a carjacking. Again, her sorrow and anger only made her more determined.

“We all can’t just go crazy. It would be easier of course,” she said. “I know a lot of people who say, ‘Why does she keep talking about it?’ They’ll never know until it happens to them. You have to do something.”

Berry, known to fans as Chill E.B., gives his listeners a strong but hip dose of anti-violence, anti-drug messages. His music encourages teen-agers to respect themselves and each other and to work toward racial harmony.

The Concord resident was one of the leaders in developing the Richmond Unified School District’s Violence Prevention Month and has performed rap songs in television public service announcements for the Bay Area Youth at Risk Project.

Korean-born Kim has devoted himself to helping first-generation Koreans and other immigrants make the transition to life in the United States.

Executive director of the Korean Youth and Community Center, Kim played a key role in building bridges between the Korean and African-American communities after the 1992 civil unrest.

Kim is also one of the founders of the Black Korean Alliance and is a member of the Liquor Store Conversion Task Force, which encourages owners of liquor stores damaged in the riots to establish different kinds of businesses.