Gun Violence Activism: Creator Highlight
Gun violence has touched many lives, sometimes cutting them short or changing them forever.
People have lost loved ones to suicide, accidents and murder, parents have had to bury their children, and kids have witnessed the horrific consequences of easily accessible guns being brought to bear in their classrooms.
Nobody should have to go about their daily life with the burden of fear caused by America's outrageous gun culture.
It's no suprise that the visceral trauma of gun violence has spawned incredibly passionate activists who want to ensure their pain doesn't spread to other people down the line.
For this month's creator highlight, I wanted to talk about some people who work to raise this issue to the center stage where it belongs.
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The first activist that I want to hightlight is a young man named David Hogg.
Like many outspoken warriors for change, David's story as an activist began with trauma. He is a survivor of the deadly Parkland High School shooting.
He and his surviving classmates have become very high profile advocates for gun control in the aftermath of their experience.
David spoke at the 2018 March For Our Lives protest – one of the largest youth-led protests in American history. He has gone on to become a leader in the movement, an instantly recognizable face in the battle to pass common-sense gun legislation and end school shootings.
Recognizable enough to even be harassed in the street by Marjorie Taylor Greene, who once accused him of being a paid crisis actor before she was elected to Congress.
She's a peach.
David Hogg is not only a vocal activist for gun safety, though; he's also a strong advocate for youth involvement in politics. His organization, called 'Leaders We Deserve', focuses on helping young progressive politicians get elected.
Their work is incredibly important, especially as we're watching a backlash against progressive ideals and a rise in far-right nationalism around the globe.
David Hogg gave a fantastic short Tedx speech about the importance of youth participation in democracy, and it's very much worth a watch.
In the fight against gun violence in America, David Hogg is an inspirational voice.
We've talked about how bad the gun violence problem in America is, and it's stark. But it's also important to understand that, while we do have stronger gun safety regulation here in Canada, we do still have violence– especially in major metropolitan areas like Toronto.
And just like in the States, we have organizations that work tirelessly to improve our situation.
One such organization is the Zero Gun Violence Movement, founded by the late Louis March. Louis passed away just this year, but his legacy of fighting against gun crime and violence in his community lives on.
This organization focuses on intersectional community work; they recognize that women and people of marginalized identities are disproportionately impacted by guns and that socio-economic problems are a major driver of violent crimes.
They work at the grassroots level, doing their best to improve education and conditions on the ground for average people living in their home city of Toronto.
Working on making people's daily lives better, building structures that create stronger communities with more support and assistance, and educating people about the connections between mental health and poverty– this organization is doing everything it can to help reduce violent crime where they live.
The work they do is inspirational, and they should serve as a model for how we can fix our own issues elsewhere in the country.
These leaders and activists are worth following and learning from, because they approach the issues they're working on in very different ways.
There are many angles and nuances to a problem like gun violence. Constructing greater safety legislation and restrictions is a worthy goal, and so is dealing with the ground-level problems that drive people to violence in the first place.
If this problem is ever going to be solved, it will be by recognizing the value of both strategies.
We can learn from these activists, see how and why they do what they do, and figure out how their strategies can be used to fight for change in all areas of our lives.
Solidarity wins.
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