John—
Zora Neale Hurston, who was raised in Florida and set many of her greatest works there, once said that "If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it." So while I'm still struggling to process what happened in Jacksonville, I refuse to keep that struggle to myself.
Since I sent you my initial thoughts on the murder of three Black people in a racist shooting in Jacksonville on Saturday, August 26, my resolve has only increased. That tragedy was utterly devastating—but it was not surprising.
We live in a country where it's all too easy for a white supremacist to obtain an AR-style weapon and then use it to inflict carnage upon the people he hates. The firearms industry has created a dystopian, "guns everywhere" culture. It has been assisted by so-called leaders in elected office who love to speak in hushed tones about America's glorious history and values, but then do everything they can to restrict Black Americans' access to the ballot box and force schools to teach children that Black people BENEFITED from slavery.
These words and actions have consequences—and we must hold the politicians who traffic in them accountable for the death and destruction that gun violence is wreaking on the Black community, especially on Black kids.
We must disarm hate. Add your name to our petition: Our lawmakers must keep assault weapons out of the hands of violent extremists.
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We're in this fight to honor every person impacted by this crisis. People like Angela. And AJ. And Jerrald.
Thank you for being in this fight with me.
Angela Ferrell-Zabala
She/Her/Hers
Executive Director
Moms Demand Action
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
From: Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Moms Demand Action
Date: Monday, August 28, 2023
Subject: Add Your Name: We must keep guns out of the hands of violent extremists