Gabby Giffords was a U.S representative when, at an event in her district in Arizona, she was shot in the head and six others were killed. That experience and her recovery led her and her husband, Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain and NASA astronaut, to found Giffords Courage, to help bring about sensible gun laws in the U.S. In this Glamour exclusive, she addresses the students leading this new wave of activism against gun violence.
Dear Student Activists:
I am so proud of you all. The sight of you streaming out of your schools, speaking up and soon flooding the streets of Washington, D.C., has inspired me. You’ve given me a boost of energy and determination, and you’ve ignited a sense of urgency and moral courage in our country that is powerful.
You’re now a part of history; you’ve joined a proud tradition of student activists in this country—the college students like my friend in Congress, John Lewis, who fueled the civil rights movement; the high school students in Los Angeles in 1968 who ignited the Chicano movement; and the students who insisted on divestment from apartheid South Africa in the eighties, to name just a few. These students changed the world we live in—and I believe you will too.
You are blazing a trail prior generations of activists could not have imagined, using social media to speak truth to power in real time in front of the world. Your creativity, and the tools at your disposal are amazing. But, like other activists before you, you face powerful opposition: fearful politicians; powerful corporate interests; rabid, dangerous polarization fueled by the NRA; attention spans that can be short; your own needs to fill your days with family, school, and the other elements of what poet Mary Oliver calls “your wild, precious life.”
My friend John Lewis was not yet 18 when he began his activism. By 23, as the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he spoke to the world from the steps of the Lincoln Monument during the March on Washington. He was a hero of mine long before I became his colleague. His dedication to doing what is right inspired my life of public service. Two years ago he led a sit-in on the House floor, keeping the issue of gun violence prevention alive when those in the pocket of the NRA wanted to shut the door on progress.
I want to tell you what John—who at 25 was beaten and thought he might die on a bloody bridge in Selma, Alabama—taught me, a lesson that has helped me both through my own long recovery and in the path I’ve taken since the attack on my life as an activist fighting for a safer America. John has taught me that nothing is ever so hard that we cannot keep going. “We may not have chosen the time,” he once said, “but the time has chosen us.”
Bloodied but unbowed, John kept marching for civil rights. After I was shot, I had to give up my job in government. I have had to learn to speak again and to walk again. It’s been a long hard haul, but I found a new path. I have found my voice and I will not stop using it. If you ever feel discouraged, know there is always a way to keep going. You must never stop believing in your own power to change what you see around you.
This weekend you will show the world your power. Standing together, you will show the power of your generation to demand change, to reject paralyzing partisanship and blind loyalty to the NRA, to envision new solutions and a safer world. You know what? There will be exhilarating moments, but it may be hard. Your feet might hurt. Maybe you won’t sleep in a comfortable bed. The ride home will be long. People may criticize you, yell at you, even threaten you.
You may face disappointment. People will say one thing one day, and another the next, as President Trump did. Keep going. The victories will be there. Every time you persuade another listener, you succeed. Every time you convince another friend to join you at a rally, or call an elected official, or register to vote you succeed. Every time you tell yourself: I can take one more step—you succeed. Laws passed in Oregon and Florida in the last weeks show the power of your activism, of your voices.
Solutions are within reach—from universal background checks to ensuring law enforcement can keep guns out of the hands of the most dangerous people to banning bump stocks. And the American people are with you: Polls show record support for these sensible solutions, and a new awareness of the devastating consequences of the deadlock the NRA has tried to put on our politics.
We are poised to overcome the hurdles of the past and usher in a new era of safety and commonsense solutions. When we do that, your energy, your determination, your voices will be the reason. There are no limits to your activism, as long as you just keep going. See you out in the streets.
Sincerely,
Gabby
