The past month in the US has been marked by the same gun violence that has long characterized our country. This week, we again feel the impact of this violence – this time in Uvalde, Texas. As we continue to collectively and individually process the intense grief and anguish that consumes us all, we are also reflecting on the cultures of violence in this country, and the systems that uphold and support them.
As we grieve the lives lost—19 children and two adults—we also find ourselves acknowledging that this is not the world any child deserves to live in. This is not the world anyone deserves to live in.
We cannot deny the anger that comes with grief, and we know that we must give it space to exist and be fully felt. The scene at Robb Elementary School, with Border Patrol and police responding recklessly and without the necessary compassion towards loved ones, reminds us yet again that the cultures of violence in this country – which are deeply rooted in histories of white supremacist violence – cannot continue. We must continue to work together to address the lasting, rippling trauma and violence that these systems of control, conquest, and punishment have created, and we must work together to envision and enact new systems of safety, care, and accountability.
Over the coming weeks, this country will engage in the usual symbolic rituals that mark these senseless tragedies —flags at half mast, thoughts and prayers promised by politicians—while the Uvalde community will forever hold this pain, and we will all continue to struggle to see light through these preventable tragedies that settle over communities across the US like a noxious, inescapable gas.
As we continue to walk through this pain and search for ways forward, at TAVP we recognize that there’s a certain ineffability to the grief we all feel. It’s too immense, too sickening. During these moments, It’s hard to go on. Yet we also recognize that becoming numb or emotionally anesthetizing ourselves to the pain and anger will not bring us closer to the future we envision for our communities, and for our children. We will continue to grieve and to hold dearly the memory of the beautiful lives lost in Uvalde and in communities across the US that have been wrecked by gun violence, and we will continue to work hard to help document the stories that emerge from this moment—stories of pain, stories of resilience, stories of hope—so that we can find our way out of these cultures of violence together. Above all, it is our life’s work to take care of one another.
With love and solidarity,
The Texas After Violence Project
