U.S (ULTRAVIOLET) : after UVALDE and BUFFALO, five things you can do right now.

 

 

 

Dear friend,

 

 

 

There are no words that can fully describe what we are feeling right now as a community. Numb ? Grief-stricken ? Outraged ? All of these words fall short of the enormity of emotions we're holding in our hearts, following the leaked Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, the white-supremacist shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 10 grocery shoppers, and now the slaughter of 19 innocent children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.^1,2,3

 

Where do we begin to channel our grief and our rage ? 

 

We don't have all of the answers, but we do know that our government needs a major overhaul--which is a long-term solution. In the meantime, we are sharing five actions that you can take right now :

 

Call on Congress to cancel its recess. It's outrageous that after the murder of 19 elementary school children and two of their teachers in cold blood, Congress is going on vacation--as if nothing has happened ! WHAT ?! Adding insult to injury, elected officials in Texas, including Governor Greg Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz, are scheduled to speak at the NRA convention being held in Houston, Texas this weekend.⁴ They need to be at work defending the safety and rights of their constituents--not shilling for the NRA and other for-profit special interests like gun manufacturers. Add your name to the petition demanding that all senators cancel their vacation plans until they protect the public with common-sense gun legislation.

 

 

 

Make mutual aid donations to support families in Uvalde and Buffalo. It's clear that we can't count on Republican legislators in Texas to provide health care coverage, ensure safe schools, or protect our rights. Even worse, the Texas government has harmed its constituents by terrorizing immigrant communities with border patrol agents and actively criminalizing families with transgender children or pregnant people seeking abortions. The families in Uvalde and Buffalo need our support. Please consider making a donation to the families in Uvalde, as well as the families in Buffalo. 

 

 

 

Learn and share about how gun violence and misogyny are linked. To properly address the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, we cannot ignore the roles that white supremacy, patriarchy, and misogyny play in these violent acts. As this Mother Jones article poignantly points out, almost all mass shooters are cisgender men with a history of domestic violence or misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes.⁵

 

Readily-accessible high-capacity guns are an immediate threat. But we also must root out the misogynist and white supremacist recruitment and radicalization of would-be shooters. 

 

Watch joyful content, too. In the age of 24/7 news coverage and social media, it can be easy to consume painful and tragic news coverage non-stop. Please take breaks with sitcoms, books, and other content that bring you joy. 

 

March ! March ! March ! Showing up in the streets in community with others is a powerful way to show our elected leaders that we demand change. March for Our Lives, a youth-led movement born out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., is holding marches across the country on Saturday, June 11. Click here for more information and to sign up. 

 

 

 

We hope to see you at the march. Thank you for being a part of the UltraViolet community, and take great care. 

 

 

 

 

Shaunna, Katie, Jaya, Bridget, Elisa, Iris, Isatou, KaeLyn, Kathy, KD, Kimberly, Lindsay, Luna, Maria, Meena, Melody, Sonja, and Toni, the UltraViolet Action team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources :

 

 

 

1. Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows, Politico, May 2, 2022

2. Gunman Kills 10 at Buffalo Supermarket in Racist Attack, The New York Times, May 14, 2022

3. 21 killed at Uvalde elementary in Texas' deadliest school shooting ever, The Texas Tribune, May 24, 2022

4. Trump, Cruz scheduled to speak at NRA convention days after Texas shooting, The Hill, May 25, 2022

5. Armed and Misogynist: How Toxic Masculinity Fuels Mass Shootings, Mother Jones, May/June 2019

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