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Jess and Jess have felt lost, forlorn, broken-hearted and out of words this last week. Shocked and encompassed soul crushing grief, along with many other Americans, TTJ(es) had to sit in the muck of shock until they came to the same conclusion: We HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS.

One of the best things about building this WeSTAT community is so many are willing to sit in the space of uncomfortable conversations, and so, this past Saturday morning, Jess and Jess sat down at Kidwell's kitchen table, turned on a microphone, and invited their friend, Kellie in to share the heart-wrenching story of her own brother's homicide by gun violence in 1990. Her brother was on the way to living the rest of a beautiful life when he was shot point blank, in an Arbey's parking lot while grabbing a late night sandwich with friends. He bled out before the ambulance could even get to him. Kellie recounts her grief is not of just losing her brother, but also that four lives were lost that night- all three of the assailants were apprehended and put in prison- they were also high school dropouts and had fathered children in their teens.
As a reaction to her grief, Kellie has dedicated her life to drug and gun violence prevention with staggering success, and is now serving as a special education teacher at a Title I public school.

This is out of the ordinary for Jess and Jess- it is raw, and you will notice background noise as their lives are moving in the background of the recording (dogs and kids!) but it is a conversation that feels necessary in a time when we have nothing left to say. Because we have a lot of work ahead of us- and we have to do it together.

Meet Kellie:
Kellie lost her brother to gun violence in September 29, 1990. She left her career in advertising to start a nonprofit organization called The Boston Coalition Against Youth Drug Use and Violence. Using her contacts from the advertising agency she was able to bring together the leadership in the private and public sectors to develop a multi-tiered plan for the city. She was lured to Washington, DC in 1995 to help communities across the country build coalitions to address drug use and violence. Working with the Dependent of Justice she helped develop a safe gun storage public service announcement with The Ad Council that was nominated for an Emmy. She raised $1M to create a one-hour TV special produced by ABC News called “The Power of One” which featured five people across the country who were making a difference in their communities to reduce drug use and violence. Since 2012, Kellie has been working in the public schools. Her bother’s killers, who were all 17, had easily accessed a gun but had also all dropped out of school. Kellie is currently working as a Special Education Teacher with at-risk kids at a Title 1 school because she wants to help kids, no matter their challenges, to stay in school. She is an active member of Moms Demand Action and an outspoken advocate for sensible gun laws.

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