Hi John,

I’d like to introduce you to Kate Dominguez. Kate is our social media guru.

It could be news, research, or program-related. It could be a state or national issue. If it has to do with gun violence and its prevention, Kate is the one seamlessly translating those stories from the source to you.

But Kate came slowly to this work. Though she was raised outside of Baltimore in an area hard hit by gun violence, it wasn’t until she was older that she gained perspective on the issue: Gun violence isn’t normal. That’s not how things are supposed to be.

It was later, as a young adult in Philadelphia, that Kate came face-to-face with the kind of violence and terror some of her colleagues were going home to after the workday was over. Giving a friend a ride home one night, Kate was instructed not to stop the car. “Just slow down and I’ll jump out,” her friend said.

He didn’t want Kate to get caught up in a drive-by shooting or a car-jacking.

Kate felt heartbroken about her friend's fear, but didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t until after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that Kate connected to a gun violence prevention organization.

Kate says there’s still “plenty of gun violence that’s happening every day that no one is paying attention to.” She’s talking about inner-city gun violence, community gun violence that happens in marginalized, frequently black and brown communities.

Using her social media skills for States United, Kate now has the opportunity to amplify the voices of those most affected by gun violence.

With your gift to States United in just two days, on #GivingTuesday this December 3rd, you will be paying Kate’s salary.

Thanks for all you do,

Karen

PS – Click here to donate now if you don’t want to wait until #GivingTuesday.