John,

The last few weeks were full of some emotional days for me. As anyone who has lost someone close will tell you – grief isn’t linear. Grieving can come and go, and it can come in waves – especially around certain dates. 

After much reflection, I wanted to share why these three milestones over the last two weeks reminded me exactly why I fight for gun safety reform in Congress and why I tell my son Jordan’s story far and wide – at every chance I get.

On February 16th, we marked what would have been Jordan’s 27th birthday. Just like his last nine birthdays, he wasn’t here. Jordan was stolen from me by a vigilante with a gun who confronted and killed him over something absolutely trivial – playing a car stereo “too loud.” 

Then on February 23rd, we marked two years since the day Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed here in Georgia. The day before, we received the good news that his killers were convicted of federal hate crimes. That conviction does offer some small measure of justice, but true justice would be if Ahmaud were alive and well today.

Today, Saturday, February 26th – we mark a decade since the murder of Trayvon Martin. I am close with Trayvon’s mother Sybina Fulton, and together as “Mothers of the Movement” we’ve advocated for gun safety reform over the last several years. 

Trayvon, Jordan, and Ahmaud’s murders: What do all three have in common? 1. The killers of these young men shot first and asked questions later. 2. Each killer attempted to claim they had acted in “self-defense” even though they provoked and started these confrontations that led to them pulling the trigger. 3. In my view of it, each of these killers felt emboldened by our country’s gun culture and the “Stand Your Ground” laws the NRA has fought to pass around the country. 

From my own experience as a survivor of gun violence, I’ve realized the importance of telling Jordan’s story – our story – firsthand. I have a platform. I have a duty to stand up and speak out.

When I can walk into a room of state legislators, lobbyists, or my fellow members of Congress and tell all of our stories as survivors of gun violence, it truly makes a difference that I am there. It really does. And my work in Congress telling Jordan’s story and fighting for change is far from over.

Thanks for reading,

– Lucy