CW: This email mentions the topic of school shootings
John,
Twenty-one people were taken from us yesterday, including 19 kids — the most innocent people in our society. There are no words to describe how to feel as we mourn more lives lost to gun violence, mere days after the atrocities in Buffalo, NY and Laguna Woods, CA.
Our children deserve to grow up with laughter, joy, and play. Our children deserve to grow up, period. How much more gun violence do we have to suffer? We are completely drained and our communities need healing.
We cannot just go back to work or school today and conduct business as usual. We have to stop. We have to pause. We have to talk. We have to think. We have to love. If we do not stop and take the time required to heal, the compounding tragedies we have experienced in our communities and seen across the country will push us to our demise.
Our nation needs a reckoning. And right now, the American people need Republicans in the Senate to work with Democrats to pass common sense gun reform. We need Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to eliminate the filibuster, not tweet their thoughts and prayers — so we can finally pass meaningful gun violence legislation.
The structure of our society is literally killing us — and it is on us to stop it. And John, if you're looking for ways to help today, please join me in taking action, supporting the victims in Uvalde, and fighting for a safer, brighter future for all of us:
Peace and love,
Jamaal Bowman
