John–
More than two years ago, I became the first woman of color elected to statewide office in Massachusetts.
Every day—especially during Black History Month—I'm honored to serve as the first Black woman Attorney General of Massachusetts. But it would mean nothing if I didn’t show up with a sense of urgency on the issues that matter most—especially to support communities that feel left out or left behind.
Heartbreakingly, Black communities are disproportionately impacted by gun violence: 71 percent of Black adults or someone they know experience gun violence in their lifetimes. And in Massachusetts specifically, Black children and teens are more than 18 times more likely to die by gun homicide than their white peers.
But despite reporting high levels of trauma, Black communities also report less access to the support services that help survivors cope with the long-term impacts of gun violence.
That's why in my first year in office, I established the first-ever Massachusetts Gun Violence Prevention Unit (GVPU).
Their job is to defend and enforce the gun laws that keep us safe, while also uplifting and supporting the community-led organizations on the ground doing critical work to disrupt cycles of violence.
Through the GVPU, we've established new community grant programs to support survivors, worked across state lines to bolster existing gun laws, and expanded public health approaches to gun violence prevention in our state. Watch this video to learn more about the groundbreaking work my team and I are leading in the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.
If we're going to end gun violence for everyone, we're going to need everyone in the conversation—especially the communities that are most impacted.
I'm proud to lead Massachusetts' gun violence prevention efforts and look forward to continuing to work together with this movement to make our communities safer for all.
Thanks for your support,
Andrea Joy Campbell
Massachusetts Attorney General
