Youth Over Guns, is a youth-led advocacy group, formed by students of color shortly after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. Our founding members include high school and college students from across New York City. In the aftermath of the Parkland shooting and the national outcry for gun violence prevention solutions, we demanded that leaders and other stakeholders invest resources into local, grassroots gun violence prevention organizations that work towards reducing gun violence in communities of color. We mobilized and organized and in June of 2018, we marched with thousands of New Yorkers across the Brooklyn Bridge to raise awareness.
Why did we march? We marched to honor all those who have lost their lives to gun violence in New York and across the country. We marched for young people of color and underserved communities who have been impacted by the gun violence epidemic at disproportionately alarming rates. We marched to demand evidence-based safety measures in our schools and communities that are more effective than policing, prosecution, or incarceration. We also marched because deaths and injuries in communities of color are barely given a second on any mainstream media outlet. The reality is that mass shootings taking innocent lives in privileged communities and schools get far more media and public attention than the tragedies in our neighborhoods. Most politicians do not even offer us mere thoughts and prayers much less the resources we need to prevent gun violence and the cycle of trauma.
In November of 2018 we joined forces with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV), a 501(c)(4) organization, committed to advocating for gun violence prevention laws, policies, and programs that reduce gun violence in New York and across the country. With their sister organization, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization concurrently overseeing our community, and education initiatives. With NYAGV’s support, we continue to pursue our mission to reduce gun violence, with a particular focus on policy and community-based solutions that will save lives in communities of color. We are proud to empower youth across New York and the country.
Why did we march? We marched to honor all those who have lost their lives to gun violence in New York and across the country. We marched for young people of color and underserved communities who have been impacted by the gun violence epidemic at disproportionately alarming rates. We marched to demand evidence-based safety measures in our schools and communities that are more effective than policing, prosecution, or incarceration. We also marched because deaths and injuries in communities of color are barely given a second on any mainstream media outlet. The reality is that mass shootings taking innocent lives in privileged communities and schools get far more media and public attention than the tragedies in our neighborhoods. Most politicians do not even offer us mere thoughts and prayers much less the resources we need to prevent gun violence and the cycle of trauma.
In November of 2018 we joined forces with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV), a 501(c)(4) organization, committed to advocating for gun violence prevention laws, policies, and programs that reduce gun violence in New York and across the country. With their sister organization, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization concurrently overseeing our community, and education initiatives. With NYAGV’s support, we continue to pursue our mission to reduce gun violence, with a particular focus on policy and community-based solutions that will save lives in communities of color. We are proud to empower youth across New York and the country.
