Parkland survivor addresses gun violence and police violence

Latest

Aaliyah Eastman

 

Thousands joined the Commitment March on Washington, a call to action against racism and police killings of African Americans. Among the speakers were relatives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner, and young visionaries such as those below.

Excerpts from a speech from Aaliyah Eastman, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting.
“I am one of the millions of young black women who make up the backbone of the American progressive movement . . . my journey of activism started by a senseless act of gun violence. When a fellow student opened fire in my classroom in Parkland, Florida, as I laid beneath the lifeless body of my classmate Nicholas Torres, to survive, as bullets riddled my classmates. . . . I was then born again with a voice that cannot and will not be muzzled . . . My brush with death by a gun is . . . an experience that is shared by too many of our generation. I am not the first in my family to be affected by gun violence. My Uncle Patrick was gunned down in the streets of Brooklyn at the age of 18, just months after being beaten by New York police who deemed his black body in a white neighborhood a threat . . .
“Law enforcement has failed to prevent the flow of guns into black communities [and] perpetuated violence . . . studies show that persistent gun violence in poor communities of color directly results from centuries of disadvantages, economic deprivation and policymaking. Gun violence is the last domino to fall at the end of a long line of racism, trauma, and indifference.
“But this is not inevitable. Community-based intervention programs throughout this country have proven that holistic culturally sensitive embedded teams can stop violence before it starts. We demand funding for these programs. . .
“[As] I talk about gun violence, I address police violence . . . there is a need for a national conversation of defunding police departments and refunding our communities. We must reallocate those funds into schools, jobs, and the needs for a comfortable life. We must empower citizens of the community being policed to hold their local forces accountable . . . We demand to live in peace . . . but this dream . . . cannot be realized until we get a federal government with our best interests at heart. For our part, the Brady team is engaged in a campaign is to remove barriers to casting a ballot, making vote by mail available to all, to ensure ballot drop boxes are distributed equitably, restoring voting rights of Americans.”
Aaliyah is executive council member of Brady’s youth-led team, ENOUGH.
See also:

Martin Luther King’s granddaughter: We will fulfill his dream


 

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

No, Immigration Is Not Making Housing Less Affordable

Despite politicians' claims to the contrary, immigration is not making housing unaffordable. In fact, immigration can be part of the solution.

Make Your Vote Count 

This 2024 election is gaining on us and the pressure to get to the ballot box is intense and...

Michigan’s Prescient Lesson: Vote While You Still Can!!! 

Michigan's non-elected Emergency Manager dictatorship made Flint's water crisis possible. Pay attention to the danger of losing our Democratic rights as we’ve known them in this election. Vote while you still can!

US Doctors Tell Biden, Harris They ‘Witnessed Crimes Beyond Comprehension’ in Gaza

US doctors who visited Gaza tell Biden, Harris they've never seen such horrific injuries, on such a massive scale, with so few resources, that our bombs are cutting down women and children, and that a ceasefire must be imposed.

Abortion Tragedies and a Georgia Victory

Grassroots organizations filed a lawsuit against Georgia's cruel abortion laws, and the county judge took a firm stand on the side of justice, writing in his ruling that “liberty in Georgia" includes "the power of a woman to control her own body . . . and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.”

More from the People's Tribune