Chairman Kenny Barnes

Chairman | Cultural Architect | National Voice on Gun Violence Eradication

Kenny Barnes has spent more than five decades building platforms that keep communities alive—first through culture, then through conscience, and now through coordinated national action.

Known nationally as Chairman Kenny, Barnes is a Washington, D.C.–rooted civic leader whose life’s work sits at the intersection of culture, community safety, and moral leadership. Long before “gun violence prevention” became a national talking point, he was already doing the work—using music, media, and movement-building to create safe spaces, restore dignity, and unite people across lines of age, race, and ideology.

In the 1970s, Barnes co-created the legendary Friday Night Go-Go Dances, helping pioneer the Go-Go movement alongside WOL radio icon Mel Edwards. What began as music became something far more powerful: a cultural infrastructure that gave young people a place to gather, celebrate identity, and experience community without violence.

That moment defined a lifelong pattern. Chairman Kenny doesn’t just speak—he builds environments where people come together.

Barnes’ voice has carried across radio airwaves, community halls, boardrooms, and national stages. A former radio DJ and lifelong public communicator, he understands how narrative shapes behavior—and how leadership must be both visible and trusted.

That trust is reflected in his civic stature. He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., where his work continues to connect philanthropy, public service, and peacebuilding.

In 2001, Barnes’ only son, Kenneth Barnes Jr., was murdered. Once again, he responded the only way he ever has—by transforming pain into purpose.

He founded ROOT, Inc. (Reaching Out to Others Together) to strengthen communities from the ground up, and he now chairs Time4Us2GetInvolved, a bold, national movement committed not to managing or reducing gun violence—but eradicating it.

His work bridges communities, policymakers, institutions, and everyday citizens, grounded in one clear belief: violence is not inevitable—disconnection is.

Chairman Kenny Barnes brings something rare to the stage:

• Credibility built over 50+ years of lived leadership
• Cultural authority rooted in D.C. history and national relevance
• Moral clarity shaped by personal loss and public responsibility
• Strategic insight into prevention, community healing, and civic engagement
• A voice that moves audiences from awareness to action

He does not offer theory. He offers experience, strategy, and a call to collective responsibility—delivered with wisdom, compassion, and unmistakable authority.

• Eradicating Gun Violence: From Crisis Management to Cultural Change
• Turning Tragedy into Transformational Leadership
• Culture as a Tool for Community Safety and Healing
• Civic Leadership in Divided Times
• The Role of Faith, Philanthropy, and Policy in Peacebuilding

Chairman Kenny Barnes doesn’t just tell a story.

He invites audiences to become part of a movement—one rooted in culture, guided by conscience, and committed to saving lives.