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The Children We Fail Are the Children We Mourn
I love to hear stories, especially those about little children and all the incredible ways they are changing the world. But Adam Toledo’s story is different, because it’s one I wish I had never heard. Adam was a 13-year-old boy in Chicago who was shot dead within seconds of an encounter with police. There’s no politics when I’m talking about children and gun violence.
A child’s last minutes should not be captured by bodycam footage. Period.
Our society’s conversation around children and gun violence is loud and sprawling—focused on dangerous streets, bad influences, policies this, lobbyists that. But the question we should be asking is simpler: What do children need in order to grow up?
And why can’t we seem to give it to them?
We keep arguing about who is to blame for gun violence, but the truth is that children don’t care about political nuance. Children care about safety. And they deserve to have it long before we finish debating.
Adam came from a neighborhood called Little Village, where families face constant economic struggles. Parents work hard, doing their best to keep up. We wish love were enough to keep children away from harm.
Adam Toledo should have grown up. So should every child. And until we can guarantee that for every child, our work isn’t done.
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What Will You Do?
If you’ve got one chance to make a dent in the universe.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~ Anais Nin
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