In 2024 and beyond, women of color will vote for gun safety

Every election cycle, a well-recognized query arises: How can we energize Black and brown voters? And while the query may often be reductive, it’s a mission-critical one. Black women and other women of color will be an influential force next November – as they’ve been in every recent presidential election. Over two thirds Black women found to have voted in 2020 – the third-highest rate of any racial and gender group.

Despite our diverse experiences, strategists often place women of color in a one-size-fits-all narrative, ignoring the influences of particular cultures, classes, and locations. Still, there are undeniable trends in what women of color can expect from their representatives. These priorities include, first and foremost, adopting commonsense regulations on the safety of life-saving weapons.

I actually have traveled across the country – red states, blue states, cities, suburbs and rural communities – and seen people fed up with the devastating effects of gun violence. Gun violence touches every corner of our society, but for women of color, especially black women like me, its impact is very clear and deeply felt.

I took up this job because I felt afraid of sending my child to high school after one other tragedy with a sense of pressure in my stomach. As a mother of black children, I do know that this shouldn’t be the tip of feelings. Guns are the leading killer of children and teenagers in America, and black youth bear the brunt. For us, it goes beyond the mass shootings that make headlines. These are on a regular basis incidents of gun violence that never make the news. These are fatal police shootings which are thrice more prone to be committed against black people than against white people. This systemic underinvestment in our communities leaves us vulnerable to violent crime.

When you concentrate on that black youth are 17 times more prone to die by gun homicide than their white peers, it becomes obvious why black women want politicians who will prioritize the safety of their children. Both white supremacy and gun violence are deadly epidemics in our country, and I lead our movement on the forefront of their intersection.

There are other dangers that weak gun safety laws pose especially to women of color, including the terrifying link between domestic violence and firearm use. Research shows that a perpetrator is more prone to kill his victim if he has access to a gun. Women of color face barriers to accessing essential services that would reduce the danger of deadly violence. This is very true for indigenous, black and Latina women, who also experience disproportionately high rates of homicide, with the perpetrator most frequently being an abusive partner.

However, our desire for gun safety goes deeper than these statistics. My own activism began young, because of my mother’s nurturing presence in our neighborhood. From the very starting, she instilled in me the idea that “it won’t be okay if it’s not okay.” Women of color have long been on the forefront of keeping their communities secure. Long before campaigns like Moms Demand Action were organized, we were doing this work by constructing networks to care for one another, watch over our youngsters, and engage in direct interventions in conflict to guard our family members.

Throughout my time on this movement, one thing has turn into clear: all of that is preventable. There are common sense laws like an assault weapons ban, stringent background checks, and extreme risk laws. There are local violence intervention programs combined with significant reinvestment within the communities most affected by violence. Accountability have to be demanded from the arms industry that gets away with murder. We have solutions – now we’d like politicians who understand this crisis and have the courage to really do something about it.

I do know persons are drained of hearing that voting is the reply, but I need women like me to comprehend the big power we will wield if we demand that candidates implement gun safety policies on their agendas. Because it has been proven that the solutions I discussed save lives and prevent unimaginable tragedies in families.

We are at a turning point. The 2024 elections represent a key opportunity to capitalize on growing momentum. With the NRA at a dead end, our movement stronger than ever, and the Biden-Harris Administration leading the White House on gun safety, effective solutions are nearby.

Voting is not just a straightforward answer; is a vital tool to influence change. I have a look at the women we elected, like Rep. Lucy McBath, a Moms Demand Action alum and a Black mother whose own son was kidnapped by gun violence, and I’m impressed by how fiercely she fights to advocate for common sense safety laws. It’s this kind of commitment to keeping families secure that offers me hope.

After all, candidates need our support greater than we’d like theirs. Without the support of women of color, they will lose their seats. No more in search of votes, no more staged photo sessions. Let’s stand in solidarity with one another and make it clear that we wish a safer future for our families.

We cannot – and will not – settle for anything less.