Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Will Be Reflecting, Raising Awareness and Amplifying Movement Leaders During Black History Month
NEW YORK – As Black History Month starts today, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund in partnership with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, the grassroots arms of Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund released the following statement as Americans across the nation gather to recognize and honor the achievements and history of Black communities.
There is no way to talk about gun violence without talking about its disproportionate impact on Black communities across the country. Generations of systemic racism and disinvestment have led to Black communities bearing the brunt of America’s gun violence epidemic. From housing instability to food insecurity, heightened rates of poverty to a lack of equitable educational and career opportunities, there are many factors that make gun violence a public health crisis that is intensely felt in Black communities. The disproportionate rates of gun violence among our Black communities leaves memory scars and trauma that can shape the trajectory of children, adults, and the collective community in lasting ways.
“In order to secure a safer future for all of us, we need to center the stories, solutions, and joy of Black leaders in this movement,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “The twin epidemics of white supremacy and gun violence have devastated Black communities for generations, yet they have always been on the frontlines to end this crisis. Whether it’s the giants whose shoulders we stand on, or the young activists who are becoming changemakers in their neighborhoods, we must always honor the indispensable contributions that Black advocates have made to building a country free from gun violence.”
A snapshot of how gun violence disproportionately affects Black communities:
- Black Americans are 12 times more likely than white Americans to die by gun homicide.
- 67 percent of known trans homicide victims who were killed with a gun were Black women.
- Black women are three times as likely as white women to be fatally shot by an intimate partner. Black women and girls and young women (10-24 years old) are disproportionately impacted by pregnancy-associated homicides.
- Every 11 minutes, a Black American is shot and wounded, and every three hours, a young Black man dies by gun homicide in the United States.
- Young Black men are 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than their white counterparts.
- 71 percent of Black adults or someone they know or care about has experienced gun violence in their lifetimes.
This February, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund in partnership with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, are commemorating Black History Month by celebrating the strides in the gun safety movement over the past two decades by highlighting the faces most impacted and those who are on the frontlines of this movement today. By elevating diverse Black voices and highlighting the importance of the intersectionalities of gun violence, we tell the stories behind the rising numbers of gun violence in the United States. You can read more about Black leaders in the fight against gun violence here.
To grapple with the impacts of gun violence on Black communities, it is vital to raise awareness and invest in community-based violence intervention (CVI) programs. These life-saving programs work with communities on the frontlines of the gun violence crisis.
To learn more about how gun violence impacts Black communities, visit here. Information about CVI investments and the Everytown Community Safety Fund can be found here. More information on the disproportionate impact of guns on the Black Community is available here. More information about the impacts of gun violence is available here.
To speak with a Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action volunteer, or policy expert about the impacts of gun violence on Black communities, please reach out to [email protected].
