If you haven’t come across the Youth Media Blog-a-thon sponsored by Wiretap and YO! yet, it’s some pretty moving stuff that is worth the read. This month’s subject is violence, and young bloggers are engaging with their readers on how violence impacts their lives and their communities.   WireTap contributing editor Jamilah King kicked off the blog with a saddening story about the murder of her 15-year-old sister:

“I’ve been harassing encouraging people for almost two weeks to tell their stories of how violence impacts their lives… I was going to google some statistics, quote some song lyrics, maybe make a reference or two to The Wire, and then write about it all in some vague, circular way, make sure all my links were on point, post, and then peace out….

…My older sister was murdered on the streets of San Francisco when she was 15 years old. I’ve always had a fraught relationship with the media because of it. Journalists were the ones who used my family tragedy as their newsworthy story of the day. They asked questions, got answers, then left. They printed my sister’s name so that some ambitious young politician could use it as political fodder for a campaign against crime. But that would make me a hypocrite. After all, I can’t ask anyone to do something I’m not willing to do myself.”

Below is a list of this month’s youth blogger participants:

• Oh Dang! (http://www.ohdangmag.com)
• Khmer Girls in Action (http://www.kgalb.org)
• Boston Progress Radio (http://www.bprlive.com)
• Vanessa Huang (http://graniterainbow.wordpress.com”)
• Kameelah Rasheed (http://kameelahwrites.blogspot.com/)
• The Playground (formally known as Grits & Eggs: http://jaysplayground.blogspot.com)

Show your support for these brave young voices sharing real stories about violence and hope in their lives. by reading their blogs, leaving comments, and even sharing some of your own stories at Wiretap.