Music festival honors young chef three years after his death

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The fourth annual RVA Music Fest is still honoring the man whose death inspired the event.

Festival founder Jasmyn Buckingham, said the death of her close friend Xavier Brown, inspired her to turn her pain into purpose. Buckingham is doing this by using the event as a way to inspire young people and prevent them from committing violence.

Brown was just 23-years-old when he was shot to death in Shockoe Bottom after leaving a catering job in May of 2022.

Buckingham said his death devastated her, but she wanted to act.

"How can we make it so, even though [Xavier's death] was something senseless, it is not something meaningless," Buckingham said. "How can we shed light on what happened to Xavier to prevent things like this happening to more families?"

Buckingham founded RVA Music Fest as a platform for local independent artists and vendors, with the hope to inspire youth to try a new hobby, start a business or just engage with the community.

Brown's mother, LaTasha Dodson has the same hopes. "We want to make sure that kids and young adults know that it's okay to put down the guns, put down the knives and be productive," Dodson said.

"Get into music, get into writing or anything that's extracurricular, that's going to help them move forward in life."

Dodson said it's an honor to have the event dedicated to the young chef.

"It makes my heart smile to know that people are still thinking of him," Dodson said. "And then hopefully this can bring some positivity to the community."

"Even though he's not here, he's still making an impact," Buckingham shared. She stated that she's looking forward to keeping the festival going for years to come.

Sign ups for performers and vendors open at the beginning of summer for 2026.