During the early, scary, isolating time of the pandemic, I did what I realize I often do and that was to look to the children. Be it their messages of hope shared in sidewalk chalk, asking if I wanted to play catch, their resiliency in not losing their bounce in their steps or the brightness in their smiles....all were a balm to my being.
The fact that guns are the leading cause of death for children in America should pause us, piss us off and push us to finally find the courage to act.
How many more? Are we numb? Indifferent? Too busy? Too distant?
As with most things, we can solve it, we just need the want to. It's sobering to realize, we don't. It's shameful that this is how we love and care for our children...all children.
When I worked for the Children's Defense Fund, founder and CEO, Marian Wright Edelman during a planning meeting coined the phrase "Cradle to Prison Pipeline." I have always thought with most of the major issues we must take the pipeline approach and solve from a multi-disciplinary approach. What is your field, your profession, your passion? Ask, reflect and answer what that particular discipline can do to lead toward an effective, time-is-NOW solution. Offer it to the shared effort.
Can more dead children focus us on solving the issue not passing blame and pointing fingers at those who own guns versus those who offer thoughts and prayers versus a lacking mental health support system?
First Lady Jill Biden said, "Our children deserve better." I hope that we are those better people.
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