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Courageous conversations on GVP
This project is a series of digital conversations with Gun Violence Prevention activists and authors in our community and around the nation. These discussions, about 30 min. in length, are recorded using Zoom and presented here for your viewing.
Our Latest Courageous Conversation:
Taylor Schumann
Author of
When Thoughts and Prayers Aren't Enough:
A Shooting Survivor's Journey into
the Realities of Gun Violence
On her website Taylor writes,
"As the mother of a young son, Henry, I’m compelled to hold the American Christian church accountable to its pro-life claims. At home in Charleston, South Carolina, and across the nation, I’ve witnessed the entrenchment of church and gun culture, and the apparent moral disconnect wreaking havoc on our ability to effect positive change. It is my hope that story will be the place we join hands and ignite in passionate advocacy to create a better future for Henry and the rest of our children. It is my desire to write our swords into plowshares, our apathy into action, and the distance between us into common ground."
View this Courageous Conversation HERE.
A Courageous Conversation with
Rev. Rosalind C. Hughes
Author of
Whom Shall I Fear?
Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence
"This book asks if locking the doors of worship is tantamount to storing up treasures where thieves may break in and moths devour. It asks what we are teaching our children about the fear of God and the message of the angels, "Do not be afraid," when they come to church weary from a week of lockdown drills and anxious adult vigilance. It asks the question posed by the psalmist and the hymn writer: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Ps. 27:1).
- Rev. Rosalind C. Hughes, Preface, Whom Shall I Fear?
View this Courageous Conversation HERE.
Our Interview with
John Woodrow Cox
Author of
Children Under Fire: An American Crisis
Mr. Cox, a staff writer for The Washington Post, wrote a series of feature articles on the effects of gun violence on American kids who were not shot but who have nevertheless experienced serious trauma from gun violence around them, including at school. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for his series and he went on to expand on his work with his book, Children Under Fire: An American Crisis.
The Courageous Conversation may be viewed HERE.
PLUS -
Meet Ava and Tyshaun in a PBS NEWS HOUR segment on Children Under Fire HERE.
PLUS -
Our Gun Safety Cards are designed to help protect kids from guns. Learn more HERE.
A Conversation with Rev. Deanna Hollas
Gun Violence Prevention Ministry Coordinator
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Rev. Hollas talks with us about her work with communities of faith and with other gun violence prevention activists across the nation.
This interview was recorded just after the tragic Atlanta mass murder of 8 persons and just prior to the terrible Boulder mass murder of 10 persons.
This Courageous Conversation may be viewed HERE.
"Stronger Together"
A God Before Guns Virtual Vigil to Remember and Commemorate Victims and Survivors of Gun Violence
Since its formation in 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, God Before Guns has held an annual December vigil to mark America's terrible annual toll of gun violence. In December 2020, we produced and shared this digital vigil incorporating the voices of a diverse group of gun violence prevention activists, a candlelighting ceremony, and inspirational music.
Special thanks to Board Member Noah Budin for his performance and direction of the video.
The Stronger Together Video may be viewed HERE.
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"Quiet No More" with Rev. Sharon Risher, Saturday, Sept. 19
Rev. Risher, a speaker featured by God Before Guns in fall, 2019, returned via Zoom for an interview with Rev. Heidi L. Barham. Sharon is a gun violence survivor who lost friends and family in the Mother Immanuel Church shooting in 2015 in Charleston, SC. She is a nationally recognized speaker on gun violence and is the subject of a new documentary by The New Yorker entitled "Quiet No More"
(27 min., use this LINK to go to the documentary).
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The Courageous Conversation may be viewed HERE.
"Activism to Invention," Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Lori O'Neill, Co-Founder of Alternative Defense Strategies LLC spoke with Mimi Plevin-Foust about how she became a gun violence prevention activist in NE Ohio. Lori and Mimi discuss God Before Guns' "Gun Safety Cards'', a project on which they collaborated. She also described her business that has designed and sells non-lethal alternatives for defense.
The video may be viewed at this link.
"Living With Senselesss Loss," Saturday, August 1, 2020
Our conversation with Vita Davis, a 2020 graduate of Valley Forge High School in Parma, was facilitated by Cynthia Lehman, a member of the God Before Guns Board of Directors. Vita was named a top-ten finalist in the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage “Stop the Hate” national essay contest. Her essay explores the challenges of losing her beloved brother to gun violence. Her essay may be accessed here.
"Why We Wear Orange," Saturday, June 6, 2020
Our first Courageous Conversation took place on Wear Orange Weekend as God Before Guns Exec. Dir. Rev. Kristine Eggert spoke with Rev. Rosalind Hughes, Pastor and Rector of Church of the Epiphany in Euclid, OH. Rev. Hughes began an "orange stole" ministry that has provided more than 100 stoles to priests and deacons around the nation. She is also working on a curriculum to further the GVP conversation within churches and their communities.
