For many of us right here and around the country, these last two weeks have been full of so many emotions; sadness, fear, and anger. The atrocities that have taken place within the last week from Atlanta, Georgia to Boulder, Colorado and many other states in between have shown us that the daily epidemic of gun violence which kills over 40,000 Americans and injures many more each year is a reminder that even during the pandemic, this epidemic has not stopped. But nor will we.

Communities all across this nation will continue to hurt as a result of weapons of war being waged on innocent people as if our public spaces have turned into battlefields due to senseless partisanship and marginalization that no one has fixed.

Many of us students, including myself, and faculty are feeling the same emotions that were felt just three years ago when the shooting in Parkland, Florida occurred. Remember what we did just one month later in March of 2018? We walked out of school, we Marched For Our Lives, we mobilized, and many of us demanded change from our elected officials for the first time, and to this day that holds true. We stood boldly in the face of opposition from those who thought it was best to stay silent. And although our hearts continue to break, we continue to stand up and say Enough!

In 2020, We The People, the youth, raised our voices at the ballot box and we got out the vote in the midst of a global pandemic that continues to ravage and destabilize communities all across our country. In 2021, we are waiting for what we were promised. It is far past time that our lawmakers offer us more than just “thoughts and prayers” on social media. This last week, 9 mass shootings in 7 days. It is time for more than empty campaign promises, it is time to end this gun violence epidemic because this cannot continue to be our “normal”.

In conclusion, I’d like to mention how important and crucial it is that we show our allyship and solidarity to Black-Indigenous-People of Color, the Asian American, Pacific Islanders community, and LGBTQ+ people, specifically the trans community. These communities I have spoken about are disproportionately impacted by daily gun violence among many other systemic injustices. With that in mind, I am calling on each and every one of you again to stand up and join the fight to ensure every community is able to live free from gun violence.

Below, you’ll see resources and actions you can take right now to get involved. I will also share these on Schoology later today. And please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message on Schoology or through social media to find out more ways you can get involved. Thank you.

Sincerely,

R. Henry Shane (he/him/his) ’21