The people that move us FORWARD!
Updated: Aug 19
This is the story of two gun violence prevention advocates...Brienne Brown and Joan Fitzgerald.
The story starts in February 2018. Our country was rocked by a devastating mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 17 people were killed and 17 more injured. Survivors gathered for a vigil a few days following the shooting, and many students gave impassioned, tearful speeches.
I was particularly affected by the speech by Emma (now “X”) González. Why did their friends have to die? Wasn’t the mass shooting at Columbine High School enough for Americans to solve the gun violence epidemic? Wasn’t the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary enough? My own children were high school age, and thanks to X, I woke up and started to take action to protect them.
I looked around for the best way to get involved in gun violence prevention. That's when I found Moms Demand Action. I got in touch with the state chapter volunteers, and they encouraged me to start a local group. They quickly sent me a box of swag, provided online training, and I was off.
At our first local group meeting, in March 2018, there were four other women in attendance: two Whitewater friends of mine, Marjorie and Jodie, and two people previously unknown to me, Tracey and Joan.
I remember being very unsure of myself at the first meeting. I remember shaking. I remember crying. I remember asking each of them how they found out about this meeting, and why they chose to show up in that public library meeting room. Some of us were there for our children. Some of us were teachers. Some of us had personally experienced gun violence. Some of us had relatives who died from gun suicide. I definitely wasn't the only one crying.
No one had free time to give to this cause. We all had family and work obligations galore. And yet - there we were anyway. We didn’t have the words of the movement down. We didn't really know what to do. But we were ready to try something …try anything. And we were going to help each other be strong enough to do it.
As we exited the library meeting room that day, we realized we needed to take a picture to document the moment. So we stuck our heads out into the hallway to see if we could find someone to take a photo for us. One room over, the library board meeting was just getting out. A kind woman named Brienne took our picture, and then asked us what we were meeting about. When she heard we were working to prevent gun violence, she immediately signed up.
Now back to the present...it's April 2024 and guess what? Two of the people involved in our first meeting of Whitewater Moms Demand Action are running for Wisconsin State Assembly!
Joan Fitzgerald - Democrat - is running for WI Assembly District 46. (New district map in effect.)
Brienne Brown - Democrat - is running for WI Assembly District 43. (New district map in effect.)
The two of them going to Madison together is the most beautiful thing I can imagine! Both are tough, smart, experienced women who will actually LISTEN to their constituents.
And of course, both have earned the Gun Sense Candidate Distinction from Moms Demand Action. (More info here about what it means to be a Gun Sense Candidate: www.gunsensevoter.org. Short version: It means they will vote with gun safety in mind.)
Can we normalize sending tough, smart, experienced women with common sense, empathy and listening skills into ALL areas of government please?!?! I am thrilled to be a part of adding that kind of representation to our statehouse in Madison. We are going to make it happen. If you want to be a part of it, please click on the links for each candidate and donate or volunteer today.
I've enjoyed exploring America. Now I want to help save it.
Won't you help me?
Sojourn on!
PS
Along the way, the fine humans involved in my Moms Demand Action volunteer network have become my dear friends, my life-supporters, my inspiration, and my role models. Tracey Scherr, extra shout out to you, for stepping into the role of Local Group Lead when I have stepped away. You. Are. My. Shero.
To the entire Whitewater team - thanks to you we have spent the last 6 years holding meetings, hosting events, tabling, training, supporting gun sense candidates, presenting to community groups, writing and calling our legislators, partnering with local organizations, building relationships in our community, speaking truth at legislative listening sessions, growing and diversifying our supporters, building our leadership team, and going to the Capitol to demand action from our lawmakers. I am so proud of us! Thank you for all you do!
PS
This week - while I was writing this story - there was a tragic incident of gun violence in the town where I lived for the first 9 years of my life, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. It made national news. And it nearly broke my heart. Every time this happens, we all get sad, we all can't believe it happened in our town, we all feel powerless. That's trauma. Gun violence is giving our entire nation - especially our children - so much trauma.
My best advice to you, if you are feeling traumatized by the news every day about the worsening gun violence epidemic in our country, is to find a local Moms Demand Action chapter near you, and sign up to get involved in this movement. When the news makes you feel powerless, Moms Demand Action helps you take your power back. Go to www.momsdemandaction.org to find your state chapter. We need you.
PPS
They won! Read all about it here: https://www.campsojourn.com/post/they-did-it-we-did-it-brienne-brown-and-joan-fitzgerald-elected-to-wisconsin-assembly
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